Second Chances
by SirStonewall
Summary: A homeless Faunus gets a chance to get her life moving again after nearly freezing to death, with it comes a chance at redemption...and revenge. Rated M for gore. Disclaimer: RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth.
1. Chapter 1

**Here's another one of the stories that I've been working on while I get over my writer's block. I hope you enjoy!**

* * *

The cold, winter air bites deep into her skin as she huddles on the sidewalk, a frayed, ratty blanket firmly wrapped around her as she holds a metal canteen cup out, the small amount of change rattling in it as she shivers.  
People pass by constantly, very few giving more than a disapproving glance at her as they hurry by.  
A pair of gray wolf ears stick up above her head, having long since been numbed by the cold, much like the rest of her body after spending hours on the street without any warmth.  
Dark gray clouds stretch out above the city, periodically dropping snow that sticks to the ground and soaks her thin form.

A gray-haired man in a business suit slows as he approaches, pulling a ten Lien note out of his wallet before depositing it in the shaking cup with a sympathetic nod.  
"T-t-thank you s-s-sir." She chatters, bowing her head to him before he walks away.

This had been the routine for her, after two years of living on the streets she had grown accustomed to jackhammering in the cold for hours on end, desperately trying to scrape together what she could for food and maybe new clothes if she desperately needed them.

She pulls the metal cup into her blanket, hastily pulling the paper money out of the cup before stuffing it in a small canvas pouch tied to her belt loop. Something she had learned the hard way several months earlier, when a gentleman had placed thirty Lien in her cup, but soon after a student tripped over her, sending the contents of the cup scattering across the sidewalk. He acted like he was helping her pick up the money, but once she had gotten all the loose change back in her cup he grabbed the paper money and stuffed it in his pocket before walking off, leaving her feeling hopeless and weak.  
Once the paper is secured in the pouch she sticks the cup back out and waits, curling up even tighter as her teeth chatter uncontrollably.

After another hour of shivering miserably against the brick wall behind her she puts the change in her pouch and places the canteen cup with her metal canteen on her belt, even through the wool insulated pouch it feels like it's burning a hole in her side due to the temperature of the metal

Reluctantly she stands up, her cold, stiff joints aching and burning as they move for the first time in hours.

She quickly adjusts the blanket around her form before slowly walking down the sidewalk, ignoring the looks people give her as they pass. The soaked blanket does little to protect from the wind that howls through the streets, stirring up flurries of snow as she unsteadily trudges along, her feet protected by mere pieces of burlap that had been sewed together to provide her with makeshift shoes.

Reluctantly she walks into a small coffee shop, relishing in the warmth that envelops her.

The bell on the door jingles when it closes, bringing the store owners attention to the frail form standing by the door.  
"No Faunus allowed, we don't serve your kind here."

She looks at him, her soft hazel eyes pleading.  
"P-p-please, j-just f-f-for a f-few m-m-minutes." She weakly chatters, her voice shaky.

"No. Get out before I have you removed."  
Amelia hangs her head and turns around, reluctantly pushing the door open and walking back out into the bitter cold.  
She slowly walks towards the one place she knows for certain she'll be allowed in; 'Tukson's book trade'.

The walk is difficult, she keeps stumbling over her own feet as she jackhammers uncontrollably, a sure sign of hypothermia. But she manages to stumble the quarter mile, taking half an hour to cross the short distance.  
When she reaches the book store she practically throws herself against the door to open it, the door opens easily, sending her sprawling onto the warm carpet just inside the door.

The jingle of the door catches the attention of Tukson, and when he sees her ice-encrusted form on the carpet he ignores the customer and jumps over the counter before running over and kneeling down beside her.  
"Hey! Stay with me, we'll get you taken care of."

Her head bobs up and down, whether in acknowledgment or from the shivering he's not sure, but he grabs her in a bridal carry before lifting her up and carrying the shaking bundle of ice and wool behind the counter.

The customer gives him an annoyed expression, and he responds in turn by glaring at him.  
"If you really think your book is more important than her life, you can get the hell out of my store. I don't need business from you." With that he walks into the back room and ascends some stairs into the living quarters of the building.

"Stay awake for me kid, don't let your eyes close." He pleads as he lays her on the couch and gently unwraps the frozen blanket from around her, carelessly throwing it to the side before he runs into the bathroom and grabs a towel.

"T-t-thanks T-Tuk, I owe y-y-you o-one."

He chuckles as he dries her silver and black hair, brushing ice and snow from it. "You owe me more than one, but don't worry about it. I'm just doing what people should."  
She tries to say something, but her teeth are chattering too hard for it to be understandable.

"You poor thing, why do you do this to yourself?"  
She shakes her head in response, putting the question off until later.  
Tukson sighs and helps her work out of the battered hoodie she has on, which he throws over the arm of the chair next to him.

He spends the next three hours giving her hypothermia treatments, slowly heating her with an electric blanket and giving her lukewarm cocoa as to avoid her going into shock.

Once she's within safe bodily temperature parameters he heads back down to the store, but not without giving her instructions to stay put.  
She waits on the couch, having been given a change of clothes to wear while he fixes up her torn clothes and washes them.  
She holds her pouch of money protectively in her lap while she waits, and after an hour he comes back with her fixed clothes, they look good as new, aside from the black stitching in places.  
He averts his eyes while she changes, and soon she's back in her jeans and black hoodie, the smell of Sea breeze laundry detergent assaults her sensitive nose, but it's a welcome change from the smell of dirt and garbage she's used to.

"Thank you Tukson, I don't know what I'll do to repay you, but I'll think of a way."

He scowls at her before huffing in amusement. "You could stick around. I really could use some help around the store, and you'll get some money out of it instead of having to freeze your ass off begging on the streets."

She stares at him in surprise before nodding quickly.  
"Yes sir! I'd love to!"

He smiles and claps her on the shoulder before grabbing the empty mug off the table and walking into the kitchen.  
"That's good to hear! Do you have any extended family that you can contact? They might be able to help you out."

She thinks for a minute, her expression turning from happiness, to depression, and then to realization.  
"There is one...can I borrow a piece of paper and an envelope?"

He nods and points to a small desk in the corner. "Top right drawer, pens and pencils are top left."  
She attaches her pouch of money to her belt loop again and walks over, pulling out a blank sheet of paper, a white envelope, and a black pen before turning the desk lamp on and beginning to write.

Tukson gives her privacy while she writes, and heads down to the shop. She writes for a solid half hour, using three sheets of paper front and back before tucking them into the envelope and sticking the envelope in her hoodie pocket.  
Just as she's tucking the flap into the envelope Tukson comes back upstairs. "You need me to mail that for you?"

She shakes her head and turns off the desk lamp before standing up and pushing the wooden chair in.  
"No thank you, I'd like to deliver this to his establishment personally."

Tukson scowls at her, but stops when he sees the determination on her face.  
"Fine, but you're going to take some warmer clothes before you go back out there."

She nods and stretches her legs gently before cracking her back.  
"I'm also going to need my equipment from when you first helped me. Some of his subjects aren't the nicest towards my-err, _our_ kind."

He raises an eyebrow for a second before shrugging and pointing to a small broom closet by the desk.  
Amelia opens the closet and finds her equipment neatly laid out on the floor.  
A coyote tan plate carrier sits in the center of it all, the seven magazine pouches full, and her custom made rifle sits atop it.  
She grabs the rifle and clears the action before expertly flipping her plate carrier on and fastening the sides, giving the straps a solid tug before tucking them under the vest. Then she grabs a tan baseball cap and pulls her hair through the back before adjusting it, her gray ears sticking through two holes in the hat.  
The last things she has left to grab include a small gray backpack and a tan holster containing a bulky black pistol.  
She straps the holster to her right outer thigh, grabbing the pistol momentarily to check that the holster sits at the correct spot before grabbing her backpack and swinging it onto one shoulder.

She looks around the closet before closing the door and turning to Tukson, who has a black duster in hand. "Here, this should help break the wind, it'll also help keep you warm." He tosses the large oilskin leather duster to her, and she swings it on, pushing her arms into the sleeves.  
"It's heavy...and it stinks..." she complains, buttoning up the front after attaching her rifle to the single point sling looped on her vest.

"Yeah, but it's waterproof and it'll keep you warm. That's what matters."

She shrugs and walks over to him, giving him a brief hug before walking down the stairs.  
"When will you be back?" He calls after her, and she stops at the bottom of the stairs.  
"Three hours, tops. If I'm not back by then...don't bother looking for me.

She walks into the shop and around the counter before pulling the door open and walking out into the snow.  
"I must be out of my damn mind trying this, but it's better than doing nothing."

* * *

She walks quickly through the streets to the Beacon shuttles, where she's stopped at the toll booths by the guard.  
"Excuse me miss, I've never seen you before, are you by chance a visitor?"

"Yes sir. I need to speak with the headmaster."

"Visitors passes are fifteen Lien at that far gate."  
Her heart sinks to the pit of her stomach, she slumps her shoulders, and her jaw drops open.  
"Please tell me you're joking."

The guard shakes his head, and she grabs her pouch of money from her belt loop.  
She pulls it open and counts out her money in her hand.

Her grand total from her efforts earlier in the day tally up to seventeen Lien, and her heart sinks even further.  
"Oum damn it..." she mutters under her breath, but the guard understands what she says.  
"Is something wrong miss?"

"Yeah, if I pay I won't have enough money to eat today, or probably tomorrow." At the mention of food her stomach rumbles loud enough to be heard over the sound of the airships in the background, and the guard knits his brow.

"Don't you have a bank account? There's an ATM over by the far gate."

She deadpans, anger growing in her chest until she finally snaps and her ears flatten against her head.  
"No I don't have a bank account! I'm _homeless_ you moron!"

The guard seems taken aback by the sudden outburst, but he quickly looks around before leaning forward.  
"Alright, I'm sorry. I can get you in, but if anyone asks you paid for your pass."

She nods and he leads her down to the gate, quietly whispering to the tender before coming back with a visitors pass in hand.  
"Here you are miss, my apologies for earlier. Enjoy your visit."

She gingerly takes the pass and looks at it before turning her attention back to him.  
"Thank you so much, you have no idea how much I appreciate the help."

He grins and waves her through. "Not a problem, now get going, the next shuttle leaves in two minutes."  
She nods and runs off to the airship, her makeshift shoes crunching the thin layer of snow.  
Once she gets inside the airship she finds herself to be alone when it lifts off, and the ride passes quickly as she stares out the window at the snow covered corner of the emerald forest.

When it touches down she runs through the courtyard, only slowing once she gets inside the large doors.  
The halls are filled with students, her attire looking completely different from their school uniforms as she walks through the halls, trying to find the headmaster's office.  
A half-hour of effort is all for naught, and the halls soon empty as the students go to class, leaving nobody to ask for directions.  
That is, until she spots a rabbit Faunus taking a picture of the forest through a window.

Her ears betray her shyness as she approaches unheard, the tips drooping a little as she summons the courage to ask for help.  
"Erm...e-excuse me?"

The girl jumps a little and turns around.

"I'm sorry if I startled you. C-could I get directions to the headmaster's office?"

The girl eyes her cautiously before smiling warmly and nodding. "I'll do you one better, follow me!" She puts her camera back in the bag on her shoulder and leads the way, weaving through the halls with Amelia close behind.

"So, are you a new transfer?" The girl asks, her unusual accent making the question seem warmer than intended.

"No... I haven't gone to any of the big academy's."

"Oh, then are you just now applying?"

"No...I don't have enough money for tuition. That's actually why I'm here, I don't have any..."  
The words are out of her mouth before she can stop them, and the girl looks at her in confusion.  
"What do you mean?"

Amelia stops walking and hangs her head, she'd put herself into a bad situation with no easy way of getting out other than the truth.  
"I'm...I'm homeless...I have seventeen Lien to my name total."

The girl stops before walking over to her and giving her a hug, which takes Amelia by surprise.  
"Wha-?"

The girl pulls back from the hug and puts her hands on Amelia's shoulders.  
"You went to Signal right?"

Amelia nods. "Yeah...I graduated with honors."  
"Great! I'll vouch for you!

The girl skips down the hall before stopping and turning around.  
"Well? Come on!"  
Amelia shakes herself out of her stupor and runs to catch up.

"So what's your name?"

"Huh? Oh...Amelia, Amelia Ellis."

"Nice to meet you Amelia, I'm Velvet Scarlatina."

"Nice to meet you Velvet, I'm glad I ran into another Faunus."

"As opposed to a regular human?"

Amelia silently curses her loose lips and takes a deep breath before answering.  
"Yeah...I've had some unpleasant experiences with some humans from Beacon..."

"Let me guess, four real big guys, leader had burnt orange hair, blue eyes, treated you like shit just because you were a Faunus?"  
Amelia nods and they slow down to a leisurely pace.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Because he's an asshole to all Faunus, he pulls my ears all the time."

"Well he's lucky I had someone holding onto my weapons for me, if I had them I probably would've shot him. That bastard stole thirty Lien from my cup right in front of me."

Velvet stops and stares at her for a second in awe.  
"You'd shoot someone for thirty Lien?"

Amelia grabs the pouch out of her duster pocket and opens it, showing the contents to Velvet.  
"You see that? That's seventeen Lien. I begged from the time the sun came up to the time I went to Tukson's because I had hypothermia. That is _eight hours_ of begging in the snow and the wind. I get ecstatic when someone gives me _five_ Lien, imagine how I felt when someone stole _thirty_ from me."

Velvet's expression quickly turns to one of understanding as she slowly starts walking again.  
"Yeah...I get it now..."

Amelia closes the canvas bag and puts it back in her pocket before following.  
They walk in silence for a minute before Velvet turns to look at her again.  
"What are your weapons by the way? Guns of some sort, do you have them?"

Amelia nods and unbuttons the duster before shrugging it off, revealing her full kit, including the rags on her feet.  
"Traditional marksman kit, enough ammo to last me a while, but light enough to move quickly. My rifle is named Snakebite and my pistol is Centurion."

Velvet blinks a few times in surprise before pulling her camera bag around.  
"You mind if I take a picture? My camera makes light copies that I can use in combat."

Amelia smiles and shrugs.  
"Why not, just leave my feet out of the picture."

Velvet takes out her camera and snaps a quick picture before putting it back in the case.  
"Thank you! Alright, let's get you to the headmaster."  
Amelia nods and follows her down the hall, a smile on her face.

* * *

They soon reach an elevator that Velvet claims leads up to the headmaster's office, and they head up. Velvet stays more for Amelia's peace of mind than anything.  
When they reach the top floor the doors open to reveal a large office, behind the desk sits a silver-haired man with spectacles and a cane, talking to a blonde woman who looks like a librarian, except for she has a purple cape and a riding crop.

Amelia folds her duster over her left arm and fearlessly strides forward.  
"Pardon the intrusion. I have an urgent letter for the headmaster."

The silver-haired man looks towards her and slightly straightens up in his chair.  
"That would be me."  
Amelia pulls the envelope out of her hoodie pocket and hands it to him before taking two steps back and halting, her left arm clutching her duster while her right hangs at her side.

He opens the letter and reads it, the blonde reads it over his shoulder.

After a few minutes he puts the letter down and looks at her.  
"And how do I know that this isn't a fabricated story?"

Amelia takes a deep breath, and when she slowly lets it out a wispy silver aura glows around her like tendrils of fog.  
His eyes widen for a second, betraying his neutral expression to show surprise.  
"Well then...this is an unexpected development. How have you been?"

The aura fades and she stands up a little straighter.  
"I've been living on the streets for the past two years, hence my ragged apparel."

This genuinely surprises him, and it registers all over his face as he looks her over, his gaze settling on her feet.  
"I see...have you been receiving any medical care and meal assistance?"

She shakes her head and pulls the chair out before easing herself into it.  
"The most assistance in the way of meals I've received is a diner giving me meat that is freezer-burnt or otherwise spoiled. As for medical care, I have received none whatsoever aside from hypothermia treatment by a book store owner."

The blonde woman gasps and covers her mouth, her eyes displaying alarm.

"Of course you know my name, so I will be acting as your parental figure for the time being."

"Of course, what should I refer to you as?"

He thinks for a moment, running his finger around the rim of his coffee cup.  
"How about uncle? It's partially true."

She nods and smiles before he turns to the woman next to him.  
"Find her an empty dorm, I'll acquire her a school-issue scroll."

The woman nods and heads to the elevator, quickly entering before the doors close behind her.  
"Miss Scarlatina, please escort her to the infirmary, tell them I want her medical record pulled up and she is to have a full checkup including blood tests for everything under the sun."

Velvet snaps to attention.  
"Y-yes sir!"

Amelia stands up and pauses.  
"I left some belongings with mister Tukson..."

Ozpin nods. "I will call him and explain the situation."  
Amelia smiles and walks towards the elevator, where Velvet is waiting for it to come back up.

The doors open when she reaches Velvet, and they enter before Velvet presses the button for the lobby. Once the doors close she turns to Amelia with a surprised look.  
"You didn't tell me you are related to professor Ozpin!"

Amelia smiles and leans against the rear wall of the elevator.  
"You never asked."


	2. Chapter 2

**Here's chapter two of Second Chances! I've stockpiled chapters for this one, along with my other story _The Lost and Found_. The week is my most likely time to update currently, because...well, it's turkey season, so I'm dedicating 4-10 hours every day on the weekend to find and hunt the slippery birds.**

 **With that, enjoy! Follow the story if you like it, and feel free to leave a review!**

* * *

Despite her incessant protests when the checkup is finished the doctors put her in a room, forcing her to stay in bed under threat of being tied down.

Velvet reads off her ailments and injuries that the doctors could find.  
"Severe malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, minor frostbite on the toes, fleas, traces of multiple blood-borne diseases listed below..."  
she tapers off and Amelia glares at her. "Read the diseases."

Velvet silently looks over them before shaking her head, in response Amelia's ears flatten.  
"Velvet, please."

Velvet meets her gaze and stares her in the eyes.  
"You _don't_ want to know."

Amelia mumbles something to herself quietly before sighing. "I really hope they don't use flea powder, that shit drives me crazy."

Velvet giggles and puts the clipboard back before sitting down in a chair next to Amelia's bed. Amelia runs her fingers through her hair, pulling out all the knots in it while Velvet sits back in the chair and pulls out her scroll, tapping on it furiously before closing it and putting it back in her pocket.

After a few minutes of Amelia combing the knots out of her hair a doctor walks in with a clipboard.  
"Good day miss Ellis, I'm Doctor Hansen, I'll be your primary care doctor. I see that you have some rather extreme ailments, such as malnutrition, might I ask how this happened?"

Amelia keeps combing her hair, but looks up at him and snorts. "Two years of living on the streets will do that to you."

The doctor writes something down on the clipboard with a hum before looking back up at her. "Have you been in contact with, or been bitten by any rodents lately?"

She stares in thought at the wall for a second before nodding. "Yeah, I got bitten on my right forearm by a mouse four days ago."

He writes that down on the clipboard, he mumbles something to himself, but Amelia hears it. "That would explain that then..."

she processes what he means and raises an eyebrow. "Put me in the loop here doc, nobody's told me anything."

He looks up from his clipboard at her with an amused huff.  
"I'm not surprised nobody's told you. You have small traces of Rabies in your bloodstream. A nurse will be here shortly to administer an antibiotic."

Amelia glares at Velvet, who gives an innocent grin while shrinking away slightly.

"Ahem, next question. Have you been cut by any rusty metal lately?"

She looks at him and nods. "Yeah, last night...are you kidding me? I have tetanus too!?"

He nods and plucks the clipboard off the wall before handing it to her.

She reads through it and drops the clipboard on her lap when she's finished.  
"Well, that explains a ton of things. Including why I constantly feel like shit."

The doctor nods slowly as a nurse wheels a cart in, on the top is a tray covered in full syringes.  
Amelia sees the syringes and groans while looking up at the ceiling.  
"Damn it...alright, let's get this shit over with."

* * *

She endures the barrage of needles with the occasional wince or gritting of teeth, but remains silent, her eyes locked on a single spot on the ceiling.  
Finally the nurse proclaims she's done, and wheels the cart back out after disposing of the needles.

About a minute later the same nurse pushes a wheelchair in and stops it next to the bed.  
"Now we'll take you to shower and get those dastardly fleas killed.

Amelia huffs in amusement and transitions from the bed to the wheelchair on her own. "Please tell me we aren't using flea powder."

The nurse looks at her in confusion and scoffs. "I hope that was a joke."

Amelia gives a sheepish grin and looks off to one side. "Hey, when you're poor you take what you can get."  
The nurse rolls her eyes and starts to push the wheelchair out.

"See you in a bit Velvet."

"I've actually got to head to my next class, but yeah, I'll see you later."

The nurse pushes the wheelchair out and down the hall to some washrooms, the pearl white of the tiling on the floor being exactly what Amelia expected of a hospital

"Shower bay one. Do you need me to stay here just in case?"

Amelia glares at her before she stands up and walks over to the first shower room. "No. I can handle myself, thank you."

"Very well, would you like a gown? Or shorts and a shirt?"

Amelia's response is instantaneous as she slides the curtain closed behind her. "Shorts and a shirt please. I can't stand those gowns."

The nurse retrieves the pair of light blue shorts and T-shirt, handing them through the curtain to Amelia, who puts them on the bench before shucking her clothes and stepping into the running water. A blissful sigh escapes her lips as the warm water cascades down onto her, washing away the first layer of dirt and grime that had accumulated since the last time she'd had a shower, revealing her pale complexion.

She grabs the first yellow bottle as instructed and rubs a generous amount of the green shampoo into her scalp before stepping back under the water.  
Once she finishes washing that out she moves on to a red bottle and repeats the process, grinning in satisfaction as she watches dozens of small black specks wash down the drain.

"Burn in hell you little bastards." She chuckles as she grabs a green bottle and repeats the process one last time, thoroughly scrubbing her scalp as her mother had taught her when she was little. When she's done with her hair she grabs the bar of soap and the sponge and sets to work scrubbing the grime from her body, painfully in some places, but not relenting until she's completely clean.

After an hour she turns off the water and steps out, grabbing one of the three towels off the bench and wrapping it around her waist before grabbing a hairdryer and going to work on her hair, meticulously drying the silver locks for twenty minutes before finally finishing off drying her body and reluctantly getting dressed in the clothes provided by the hospital.

She bags up her clothes as instructed and pulls the curtain aside to reveal the same nurse standing there, ready to wheel her back to her room. She hands the bag to her and sits down in the wheelchair, allowing herself to be pushed around as the fatigue from the day catches up with her.

When they get back to her room she finds her equipment neatly stacked underneath the table next to her bed, her rifle propped up in the corner.  
She stands up and gets into the bed, enjoying the comfort of the sheets and the springy mattress for a change, instead of her usual heavy wool blanket and hard concrete.  
By the time she pulls the sheets up and her head hits the pillow, she's asleep.

* * *

She wakes with a start, her heart pounding in her chest as her eyes dart around the dark room, searching for any sort of threat. Upon finding the room empty she takes a few deep breaths to calm herself and sits up, propping herself up with a couple pillows.

She scans the room as a force of habit and her eyes settle on the rifle in the corner. She swings her legs out of bed and retrieves the weapon, propping it up against the side of her bed before grabbing a small polymer box out of her backpack.

Pulling the rifle up onto her lap she opens the box and pulls out several thin metal rods, which she screws together before screwing a metal brush on the end.  
Next she grabs a white handkerchief out of her bag and lays it in her lap, pushing a large pin out of the receiver and pulling the receiver into two pieces, an upper, and a lower.  
She pulls the round bolt assembly out of the upper and wipes it down before placing it on the handkerchief. Then she pulls the long charging handle out of the upper and places it next to the bolt assembly, leaving the barrel ready to be cleaned. She takes the brush and runs it down the barrel repeatedly before taking it off and replacing it with a thinner version. She wraps this brush with a small white patch of cloth and puts a few drops of gun oil on it before running it down the barrel several times. When she's done the white patch is completely black with powder residue. She tosses the patch in the trash next to her bed and grabs another, repeating the process a second time before there's a knock at her door.

"Come in!" She chirps, not ceasing her weapon cleaning.

The door slides open, and Velvet steps in, turning on the light.  
"Hey, I see you're feeling better. Hope you don't mind, I brought some friends."

The next person to step through the door is a rather fashionable looking woman, a black beret on her head. She's shortly followed in by a girl with a black bow on her head that to Amelia screams 'Faunus in hiding'. She's followed in by a girl with long blonde hair, her yellow shirt showing almost a little too much cleavage.  
Finally the last girl to walk in wears a red cloak, over a red and black dress with a corset. Red's silver eyes light up when she sees the rifle, and she zips over to the bedside in a puff of rose petals.

"OhmyDustisthisanarmalite!?"

Amelia's stunned for a second, and blinks several times before nodding.

"That's so cool! Does it use gunpowder or Dust?" Her enthusiasm for the weapon is unparalleled, but she's quickly dragged back by the blonde.

"Excuse her, she's a bit of a nerd when it comes to weapons."

Amelia chuckles and pulls a small bottle of oil out of her bag, giving the bolt assembly several drops before sliding it in with the charging handle and closing the receiver. "It's quite alright, I'm a bit of a nerd myself."

She pushes the large pin back in and folds the short bipod out before placing the rifle on the floor and wiping her hands on the handkerchief as Velvet introduces the other people with her.

"So, starting in order of entrance, this is Coco, Blake, Yang, and Ruby. Everyone this is Amelia, she's new as of a couple days ago."

Amelia looks up at Velvet with a confused expression. "Wait, a couple days ago? How long was I asleep?"

"Three days."

Amelia raises her eyebrows before chuckling. "That would explain why I feel so good...Anyways, it's nice to meet you all. Please, take a seat."

Everyone shuffles around and finds suitable places to sit, Ruby opts to sit down next to Amelia's rifle. Coco is the first to ask anything.  
"Soooo...where you from?"

"Vacuo, I've been in Vale ever since I graduated from Signal." Amelia has that lie down so well that it's almost an instinctual response.

"Really? Someone of your complexion in Vacuo?"

Amelia smiles and nods. "Yeah, mom and dad moved there from Atlas right before I was born."

Coco gives an understanding nod and Yang speaks up next. "So how'd you get in mid-term? Usually only transfers can do that."

Amelia suddenly gets really shy, and stumbles over her words before opting for a simple solution. "Erm...next question? I'll answer that eventually, just not right now."

Ruby pipes up from beside the bed. "Weapons? Have you named them?"

Amelia grins and shifts in her bed slightly. "My rifle is a custom AR-10 chambered in .308 Winchester, I named it Snakebite. My pistol is a Sig Sauer P226 chambered in .45 ACP, and I named it Centurion."

Ruby stares at the rifle in awe before Yang giggles. " _Of course_ you would ask that Ruby."

Ruby sticks her tongue out at Yang before Blake asks the next question.  
"Alright, we've got weapons, now how about semblance?"

Amelia looks uncertain, looking around the room at each of them before taking a deep breath and letting it out.  
"My semblance is a thin fog that I emit when it's activated, I can completely control this fog like you would control your fingers, and when I use it I can mess with people's heads while they're in the fog. For example I can give someone hallucinations of their greatest fear, or I can use it to make myself disappear from view. I can demonstrate the latter if you'd like."

Everyone looks at each other, one by one nodding to each other until Velvet gives Amelia the go ahead.

As described a white fog seems to drift out from her clothes, and it soon hovers around the entire room, looking harmless until Amelia disappears.

To everyone else she simply isn't there anymore, the sheets fall to the bed and the pillows decompress. To Amelia however, she sits there patiently for about ten seconds until she releases her hold on them, allowing the fog to drop to the floor like water before it climbs up the sides of the bed and back into her clothes.

Velvet blinks several times before speaking. "Wow...that's..."

She tapers off as she tries to find the words.

"Terrifying?" Yang offers from her seat by the window.

Amelia snorts and looks over at Yang. "If you think that's terrifying, you ain't seen _nothing_ yet. I could make this room look like a damn murder scene if I wanted."

Yang stares at her thoughtfully before grinning. "Do it, just to me."

Amelia raises an eyebrow before chuckling and shaking her head.  
"If you insist, close your eyes."

Yang closes her lilac eyes and the fog seeps out of Amelia again, flowing down the side of the bed before crossing the floor and forming a column around Yang.

"Right now she can't hear a thing we say. I have complete control of all four of her senses. Go on, someone make fun of her."

Ruby steps up to the plate. "Hold on Yang, let me grab a pair of scissors, your hair's a mess."  
Yang remains silent, sitting there with her eyes shut, and Ruby goes wide-eyed.  
"Oh my Dust, she'd go ballistic if she heard that."

Amelia grins. "Alright Yang, you can open your eyes now."

The blonde opens her eyes and plasters herself back in her chair, her lilac eyes darting around the room fearfully. Before she can freak out Amelia releases her from the fog, and the column drops to the floor again before flowing back up to her.

She blinks several times before looking at Amelia with a hint of fear in her eyes.  
"Agree to never do anything like that to Ruby and we're cool."

"Deal."

Amelia holds her hand out, and Yang shakes it firmly before withdrawing back to her chair.

"As I said to everyone while you were fogged up, when I have someone under control, I have complete control of all their senses, excluding pain."

Yang nods and Coco leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees.  
"Anything else you can do with it? Besides mess with people."

Amelia nods and lifts her right arm. "I can do stuff like this."

Once again the fog seeps out of her clothes, but this time it forms a thin, yet long snake, which curls down Amelia's arm and weaves through her fingers, the small tongue flickering.

All around the room jaws drop, and everyone stares in awe as the fog turns back into a cloud, and then into a small Nevermore, which perches on her forearm and looks around.  
She looks around at the faces in the room and busts out laughing, the smoky bird on her arm disappears and the fog quickly seeps back into her clothes while she clutches her sides. "The looks on your faces! Oum that was _great_!" She squeaks as her eyes water up from laughing so hard.

"To be fair, that's amazing." Blake defends with a smirk tugging at the edges of her mouth.

Amelia wipes the tears out of her eyes and flips the covers off her legs.  
"That's _nothing!_ Watch this."

She stands up and walks over to the window, pulling it open to look out into the early morning pre-dawn light. Copious amounts of fog roll off of her and out the window, where it joins the thick natural fog. A minute later dozens of smoky soldiers rise out of the fog, standing in formation at attention, facing the woods.  
As if on cue they all move forward, marching into the woods, where they disappear from sight for a minute. Suddenly a single one runs out, fearfully glancing behind him before he trips, and a smoky Beowolf jumps out of the bushes, landing on top of him.

The two figures scuffle a bit, but the smoky Grimm wins the battle, biting the soldier's throat out before the two dissipate.

The fog flows up the wall of the building and boils around Amelia's feet before flowing into her clothes.

Everyone gawks at her as she closes the window and leans against the windowsill, a cocky smirk on her face. Just then there's a knock at the door, and Ozpin walks in, accompanied by a doctor.  
"Well hello everyone. I'm glad you're feeling better Amelia."

Everyone mutters hellos to him as he stands by the foot of the bed, a cup of coffee in one hand, while he leans on his cane in the other.

"Hello sir, I am too. I was just showing off my semblance to everyone."

Ozpin grins and sips from his mug before placing it on the bed and pulling a couple things out of his pocket.  
"I came to bring you these. Your schedule, school ID, and your school-issue scroll."

Amelia straightens up and walks over, gingerly taking the objects from him before sitting down on the edge of the bed.  
"Thank you, any word on when I'll be released?"

The doctor leans around Ozpin and waves cheerfully.  
"That's actually why I'm here, you're free to go. So long as you come in once a week so we can monitor your recovery."

Amelia nods and the doctor lays her clothes on the bed, her small pouch of money on top.  
She thanks him and he leaves, shortly followed by Ozpin, who gives Amelia a gentle hug before leaving.

Everyone stares at Amelia, and she looks around. "What?"

"Ozpin was really friendly with you. Anything you aren't telling us?

Amelia smiles and grabs her clothes, throwing them up onto her pillow before she lays her rifle on the bed too.  
"Well...you see...Oz is technically my uncle...

Once again jaws drop around the room, and everyone stares at her some more.  
"I know it's surprising, but everyone get the hell out so I can get changed? I'll talk more about it when I'm done."

Everyone reluctantly stands up and shuffles out, closing the door behind them.

She quickly shucks the hospital clothes and puts her street clothes on before following up with her combat equipment.

* * *

When she's done fitting all her gear she stuffs her new scroll and ID into her pocket, then more carefully inserting her schedule in her plate carrier.  
Looking carefully around the room she doesn't see Tukson's duster, and hopes that Ozpin had it delivered to him as she clips her rifle onto its sling and lets it hang by her side.  
Noting the annoying absence of any sort of shoes or slippers she grumbles and opens the door, where everyone is standing in a semicircle outside.

"Wow kid, no offense but your sense of fashion _hurts_."

Amelia chuckles and slides the door closed behind her. "Coco, five days ago I was homeless, I was lucky to have this. You want to improve my look, you can take me shopping."

Coco nods and Velvet opens the circle, motioning for Amelia to follow her.

Amelia walks out the opening, and follows her down the hall, the group close behind her.  
"I have a pair of boots at our dorm that might fit you." Yang offers as she jogs up to walk beside her.

"I'd really appreciate it. I haven't had a good pair of boots for _years_."


	3. Chapter 3

After visiting the RWBY dorm Amelia walks out with a new pair of combat boots and a couple pairs of socks, stuffing the excess of the latter into her bag before leaving with the group in tow.

While they're traversing the halls on their way to the cafeteria Amelia looks down a side path and halts, staring at the person who's bullying a Faunus at the other end.  
"Well _I'll be damned_ , just the person I was looking forward to finding."

Everyone hears her chuckle as she turns and begins to walk down the hall, putting a magazine in her pistol as she walks.

Velvet moves to stop her, but she's stopped by Coco when Amelia starts emitting tons of fog, which spreads down the hall and concentrates around the large man.

"Hey _dirtbag_!" She yells, catching the attention of the bully.

"What do you want? I've never seen you before."

Amelia crosses her arms across her chest and stops some eight feet away from him.

"Bullshit. Where's my fucking money?"

He lets go of the other Faunus, who quickly runs away.

"I don't owe you any money. I don't borrow money from _animals_."

"Think again motherfucker. Eight months ago, you stole thirty Lien from a homeless person! You remember now!?"

He stares at her for a second and laughs, a grin spreading across his face.

"I suppose I do. You honestly think I'm going to give money to _you_?"

She steps closer to him, the fog around her boiling.

"Yes, you are. Or I'm going to pull it off your unconscious body."

He roars with laughter and steps forward, grabbing her by the throat before lifting her up off the ground.

"You sure talk plenty for some mangy _mutt_."

"And you sure are stupid for a _human_."

With that she pulls her right leg up and kicks him straight in the chest, putting a significant amount of aura into the blow.  
He flies back and slams into the wall, slightly caving it in before he slumps to the ground, unconscious.

She walks up to him and pulls his wallet out of his pocket. Opening it up she gawks at the sheer amount of money inside, hundreds if not thousands of Lien. She pulls it all out and takes thirty for herself before throwing the empty wallet onto him.  
She tucks the thirty Lien in her pouch and walks over to the crowd that had gathered, throwing the rest of the money above them, causing it to scatter about.

Satisfied, she withdraws the fog and walks back to where the group is.

"That was a bit extreme." Blake scowls at her disapprovingly.

"No, the bastard got what he deserved. My life depended on that money that he stole. I was going to buy myself a new pair of pants that I _needed_. He stole it and probably bought something he didn't _need_. Now let's go eat, using my semblance this much is making me even hungrier than I already am."  
Velvet nods and starts walking towards the cafeteria, Amelia not far behind her.

When they reach the cafeteria Amelia heaps her tray high with food and gets a cup of coffee before following Velvet to a table, where the rest of the two teams are eating.  
Setting down her tray and mug Amelia sits down and quickly digs into her food, only pausing to take the occasional swig of coffee.

Across from her sits a mountain of a man with a green armor plate on his left shoulder and a smaller man with white eyes and darker skin.

She ignores everyone as she eats, but her gray ears alertly turning different directions as she remains alert, even while eating.

Once she's done eating she introduces herself to the two men with a smile.  
"Sorry for not introducing myself earlier. My name's Amelia."

They shake hands and the tall man introduces them.  
"I am Yatsuhashi Daichi, and this is Fox Alistair."

"It's a pleasure to meet you two."

Suddenly she straightens up and sniffs the air before wrinkling her nose and looking around. "I smell a Schnee."

A girl with white hair down the table leans forward and looks down her way.  
"Did I hear someone say my name?"

Amelia deadpans before laying down her ears, grabbing her mug and tray, and leaving in a hurry.

"Hey! Wait!" Yang calls after her, but it's too late, she's already dropped her dishes off and left.

"What's up with her?" The heiress asks, a noticeable amount of sass in her voice.

"I don't know, but someone should go talk to her." Velvet starts to get up, but Blake is already up and moving.

"I'll do it."

* * *

When Blake catches up to Amelia she's in the gardens sitting on a bench, holding her rifle upright by the barrel, with the stock resting on the ground.

"Hey, what was that about?" Blake asks, sitting down on the bench next to her.

"I refuse to eat with _her_." Amelia hisses through clenched teeth.

"And why is that? She's part of my team. It's only right that she sits with us."

"That's fine, but I am _not_ eating a meal with a _Schnee_."

Blake grabs her by the shoulder and turns her so they're looking each other in the eyes.

"Would you please tell me why? Please don't tell me it's just a hatred for the family."

Amelia turns her head and turns her eyes to the floor.  
"It'd...be easier to show you..."

"Alright, let's see it."

Amelia's fog pours out and surrounds them, and the view of the garden changes for both of them to a dimly lit tunnel, multiple picks sing out against rocks as dozens of dirt-encrusted Faunus hammer away at dust crystals embedded in the stone.  
Amelia points to a thin girl clad in shorts and a tank top, her silver hair swaying behind her with every swing, next to her is an older woman with similar hair and ears.

"You know where we are?" Amelia asks Blake, who fearfully nods as she looks down the tunnel.

The younger Amelia stops swinging for a minute, coughing hoarsely as she tries to breathe in the choking dust.  
Suddenly a man with a baton stalks up to her and hits her across the back, causing her to fall to her hands and knees as she struggles to breathe.

"Back to work!" He yells, standing above her menacingly brandishing the baton.

"She's trying to breathe! She can't work if she's choking on this dust!" Her mom yells at him, throwing her pick down and rushing to Amelia's side.  
Two more men with batons run over and haul the two to their feet, dragging them up the tunnel towards a freight elevator.

The scene shifts to the office of none other than the SDC president, where the two are standing in front of papa Schnee himself, flanked by multiple guards.  
"Please sir, she could hardly breathe from the air. And your...guard, came and hit her with a baton! You honestly can't expect us to work in those conditions!"

The white-haired man glares at her until she shuts up. "You _can_ and you _will_. The air quality is perfectly fine."

Amelia's mother tries to reason with him, but he doesn't move a muscle until she blurts out a sentence as they're being dragged out.  
"I won't leave her side until she's healthy!"

He stops the guards and stands up, walking over to her.  
From where they're standing Blake watches him take a guard's pistol and hide it behind his back.

He nods to the guards and they force the two to their knees.  
"Fine then, you're of no use to me."

With that he swiftly pulls the pistol out from behind his back and shoots her in the throat, the report of the weapon echoing down the hall as Amelia stares in horror.  
The woman's corpse falls over, and the dark red blood that is gushing out of the wound pools below her as Amelia thrashes against the guards restraining her.

"MOM!" She screams hoarsely as the restraints holding her are cut free.

She rushes to her mother's side and clasps her hands over the wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

After a few seconds the woman stills, her final breath leaving in a gurgle as her eyes stare at the ceiling unmovingly.  
"No...No!" Amelia cries against her as the dust company president hands the pistol back to the guard, his face an emotionless slate.

Slowly Amelia reaches up and closes her mother's eyes, the blood on her hands smearing as she pushes them closed.  
Then she reaches up to her mother's left ear, where a small yellow tag sits highlighted against the gray hair. She pulls the tag off and holds it close as the guards haul her to her feet and guide her out.

The scene fades out, and she's suddenly back in the garden with Amelia, who is bent over her rifle, tears falling off her face.  
She looks up at Blake as she pulls a necklace out of her shirt, on it sits the same yellow tag.

"Now do you understand?" She sobs, her voice shaky.

Blake nods and gently hugs her as she sobs, the same cheerful woman she had known was replaced by a broken and devastated girl.

After five minutes Blake hears the clicking of heels and looks over to see Weiss walking over, a determined look on her face.

Amelia hears it too and falls silent, the tears on her face being the only evidence that she was crying.

Blake shakes her head at Weiss, warning her to stay away for the time being, but the dense heiress ignores her and stops in front of Amelia, who stares at the white heels with a glimmer of hatred in her eyes.

"What's your deal? The second you find out that I'm sitting at that table you jump up and run away! How rude!"

Amelia grabs her rifle in her left hand and stands up, getting in the heiresses face as she glares with a look of pure fermented hatred.  
"You want to know what my deal is Schnee!?"

She grabs her necklace and pulls it off her neck, hanging the yellow tag in Weiss's face.  
"THIS! IS MY PROBLEM!" She yells, making Weiss step back.

"An ear tag?"

Amelia starts angrily pouring out fog, which only adds to her intimidation factor.

"It's not _just_ an ear tag. This is the ear tag belonging to _my mother_ who _your father_ shot in _cold blood_ right in front of my eyes. _That_ , Is what my deal is. So you better _think_ before you open your fucking mouth to me again _Schnee_."

With that she wheels around and stalks off, leaving Weiss stunned.

Once she reattaches her necklace to her neck she clips her rifle back on its sling and texts Ozpin, asking if there was a gun range on campus.

* * *

This early in the morning the range is completely empty, and Amelia grabs the lane furthest from the door before loading her rifle and activating the targets.  
When the first target pops up she shoots it twice in the chest and once in the head, the two holes in the chest overlap each other.

She repeats the same with the other two dozen targets, leaning aggressively into the moderate recoil of the rifle as she tries to burn off the hatred boiling inside her.  
When the drill ends she doesn't even check the time, and instead slams her fist on the button to restart.

She does the drill five times over and is halfway through the sixth redo when someone else enters the range. She ignores them and finishes the drill, swiftly pulling her pistol out of its holster and dispatching the last target when her rifle runs out of ammo. She takes a deep breath and lays her rifle on the bench, clearing the action of her pistol before putting it back in its holster.

She starts picking up the fourteen empty magazines off the floor when she feels a gaze in her back.  
"Can I help you?"

She keeps picking up the magazines and putting them on the bench while she waits for an answer.  
"Well, I've never seen you here before, and I figured I'd introduce myself."

Amelia finishes picking up the metal magazines and turns around, her eyes settling on a girl in a hoodie with a bronze shield on her back.  
"My name is Pyrrha Nikos."

Amelia extends her hand.  
"Amelia Ellis. I started coming to Beacon a few days ago, but I've been in the infirmary, hence why you haven't seen me."

"Oh, you're the new girl that Ruby was talking about. If I might ask, what were you in the infirmary for?"

Amelia chuckles and leans back against the bench.  
"What _wasn't_ I in there for? Take your pick, malnutrition, vitamin deficiency, Rabies, Tetanus. A whole assortment of shit."

Pyrrha raises her eyebrows in question.  
"Spent a couple years on the streets, been through some stuff."

Pyrrha nods in understanding and walks over to the next lane, where her rifle is sitting on the bench.

"You beat my record by the way." She says as she points to a leaderboard at the back of the range.

"I'll be damned, it's been about a year since I last shot this thing too."

Satisfied and cooled off, Amelia repacks her magazines with ammunition and puts them back in her vest before clipping her rifle on its sling.

"Well, it was fun talking to you Pyrrha. Take care."  
Pyrrha chirps goodbye as Amelia walks out of the range.

* * *

Using the schematics on her scroll Amelia manages to navigate the halls with relative success, and finally enters the dorms after about a half hour.  
"Two-seventy-six...two-seventy-seven...here we are."

She holds her scroll up to the lock and it clicks as it unlocks, a green light flashes above the doorknob. Cautiously pushing the door open she finds the room void of people, a large bed sits in one corner, while the other is occupied by a weapon bench with an armorers vice.  
She gently closes the white door behind her and crosses the open space before sitting down of the edge of the bed with a sigh and a groan. She takes her hat off and throws it on the bed next to her, giving her head a shake.

There's a knock at the door, and she sets her rifle on the bed before walking over and opening it.

Yang's standing there with Ruby at her side, both have an irritated look.

"Yes?" Amelia crosses her arms across her chest and looks at the two with a raised eyebrow.

"We need to talk." Yang's voice is venomous, her lilac eyes having turned red.

"...fine."

Amelia steps out of the doorway and walks across the room, grabbing Snakebite before sitting down at the weapon bench

Yang and Ruby walk in, closing the door behind them before they sit down on Amelia's bed.  
"So what's your problem with Weiss? She's been really irritable since she went to talk to you."

Amelia clears her rifle before placing it in the armorers vice and pulling the receiver apart, but she doesn't respond, she keeps field-stripping her rifle, methodically placing the parts in neat rows on the table.

"So you're just going to ignore me!?" Yang snarls as she jumps up.

Amelia hangs her head and shakes it, the tips of her ears drooping slightly.  
"I'm not ignoring you, sit back down and I'll tell you. It's not pleasant for me to talk about."

Yang sits down, and Amelia turns in her chair so she's facing the two girls.  
"Weiss's father killed my mom right in front of me. So yeah, I've got a bone to pick with the Schnee family. We spent four months in the dust mines in Atlas, after my mom was killed I ran away, jumped ship to Vale. And you know the rest of my story. If you don't believe me I'll show you."

Yang's eyes turn back to their usual lilac color and take on a sympathetic look before she turns them to the floor.  
"Oh...I'm sorry...I thought...I don't know what I thought..."

Amelia turns back to her rifle and wipes down the inside of the receiver with a red handkerchief before setting the cloth aside.  
"Don't take this the wrong way. But you don't know what you thought because you _didn't_ think. I've done the same thing multiple times before. I don't want your sympathy, I just want a family. Which is something I haven't had since Signal academy."

Ruby stands up and walks over to her, quickly wrapping her up in a hug from behind.

Amelia flinches at the contact at first, but after a few seconds she leans into it slightly, her shoulders shaking slightly as she lets out a few shaky breaths.  
"T-thanks Ruby..." she sobs, tears rolling down her face and dripping off her chin.

"Don't mention it, it's the least I can do. It's not the person I am to let someone go without something like that."  
Yang stands up and walks over, joining in the hug.

"What about your dad? Any siblings?"

Amelia shakes her head, taking a deep breath. "I don't know. They were fine when we got dragged off to the mines. But I haven't been able to go back to Vacuo to check."

They hug in silence for several minutes before there's a knock at the door, Yang and Ruby step back to allow Amelia to stand up and open it.

She gets up, walks over to the door, and looks through the peephole before grabbing her pistol out of its holster.  
Yang goes to say something, but Amelia does something she didn't expect; she ejects the magazine and works the action before chucking it to the bed. Then she pulls her bayonet out of its scabbard on her vest and throws it to one side, where it embeds itself deep in the center of the bathroom door.

Amelia takes a deep breath and opens the door, where a very nervous looking Weiss stands, her hands clasped together in front of her.  
She steps out of the doorway to allow Weiss to enter, but the heiress just stands there, gawking in surprise.

"Well? You waiting for a written invitation? _Entrez vous_."

Weiss reluctantly walks inside and Amelia closes the door behind her before walking over and sitting back down at the weapon bench.  
"I...I came t-to say I'm sorry. If there's anything you need please let me know. I am willing to compensate you on my family's behalf."

Amelia stares at her for a moment before nodding slowly.  
"Apology accepted, from you. I will _never_ forgive your father, but I'm willing to come to good terms with you...and maybe your sister. Having said that...there are two things I need."

"Name it."

"One, I need a round-trip ticket to Vacuo. Two, I want all of my mothers and my belongings that were taken from us returned. _Without_ your father finding out."

Weiss nods to the first request, but looks uncertain about the second request.  
"Consider the first done...but the second...that's going to take a while."

Amelia reaches into her bag and pulls out a mustard-colored brick, holding it up to show Weiss.  
"If I don't have them back by the end of next week, you're telling me where it's at, and I'm taking it by force. Understand?"

Weiss pales, her eyes going wide as she stares at the five pound brick of Dust-infused plastic explosives being held by Amelia.  
"Understood."

Amelia puts the explosives back in her bag and closes it.  
"Good. Oh, another thing, I need some Lien. I'm about as poor as it gets right now."

Weiss nods and pulls her wallet out of her skirt, grabbing a thick wad of money before handing it to Amelia.  
"Thank you Weiss. I am also sorry for my behavior."

She stands up and offers her hand.  
"Amelia Ellis, marksman, wolf Faunus, and Ghost Soldier."

Weiss shakes her hand, and Amelia walks towards the door.  
"Well, now that introductions are through. I'm going to have to ask you all to leave. I've got weapons to clean."

Weiss nods and walks out, her heels clicking even on the carpet.

Yang claps her on the shoulder as she walks past, a smirk tugging at her lips.

Ruby slumps her shoulders and starts to walk out with a dejected look, but Amelia stops her.  
"I suppose you can stay and help if you want. If it's okay with Yang."

Ruby perks up immediately and looks to Yang hopefully, who laughs and nods before continuing down the hall.  
Amelia smiles and closes the door before walking over to the bathroom door and roughly wrenching the knife out of it.

"So what do you want me to clean?" Ruby asks, looking hopefully at her

"You can clean Snakebite if you want, just don't touch the scope, it took me forever to get it dialed in."

Ruby's eyes light up and she nods rapidly before sitting down in the wooden chair.

Ruby looks over the bottles of oil, grease, and cleaning solution that have been lined up on a shelf above the bench, scowling as she grabs a bottle of grease.  
"You use a graphite based grease?"

Amelia grins and picks up her pistol magazine off the floor, putting it in her pocket before answering.  
"Yeah, all of the other greases I've tried have caused feeding problems. I've been meaning to buy a better gas block so I can change over to a synthetic. But I just never got enough money."

Ruby nods and opens her mouth to say something, but Amelia cuts in.  
"But! Now that I've got some money that's going to be the first thing I do."

Ruby smiles, screws the brush into the cleaning rod, and pushes it down the barrel. "I've never seen one of these set up like a sniper rifle before."

Amelia scowls at her. "It's not a sniper rifle. It's a designated marksman's rifle. There's a huge difference."

"Really? What's the difference?"

Amelia grabs Centurion off her bed and sits down next to Ruby.

"Well, a sniper rifle is built primarily for accuracy and range. A designated marksman rifle is a balance of accuracy, range, and engagement speed."

"...Oh, okay! It's still a really cool gun!"

Amelia chuckles while she disassembles Centurion, placing the parts on a white handkerchief to distinguish them between the parts from Snakebite.  
"Thanks Ruby, it's still not the way I want it though."

Ruby snorts as she puts the freshly cleaned and lubricated rifle back together.  
"I've said the same thing about Crescent Rose dozens of times before. There's always _something_ that could be better."

"So true. What is Crescent Rose by the way? I've never seen your weapon."

Ruby beams, happy to be able to brag about her sweetheart.  
"Crescent Rose is my fifty caliber sniper scythe, it's a mechashift weapon of course."

Amelia grins and looks at the wall thoughtfully for a minute before resuming cleaning components.  
"Now _that's_ an idea..." she chuckles, furiously scrubbing the barrel out of Centurion with a cleaning rod.

"You want to make a friendly bet?"

Amelia looks at Ruby, who has a suspicious smile.

"Name your terms, then I'll decide."

"Shooting competition? If you out-shoot me I'll give you the plans for Crescent Rose. If I out-shoot you then you give me the plans for Snakebite."  
Amelia's grin disappears, and she looks back at the part she's wiping down.

"I don't have the plans for Snakebite anymore... They were taken from me when I got sent to the mines...but I suppose I can make them from memory. You're on, I hope you're ready to give me those plans."

They shake hands, finalizing the deal before Ruby snorts.  
"Bold words from someone who's going to lose."

Amelia grins the entire time she finishes working on Centurion.  
Once she's finished she racks the slide a few times before slapping a magazine in and putting the pistol in its holster on her thigh.  
Then she grabs her bayonet and sticks it in the table in front of Ruby, who yelps in surprise.

"Get that as sharp as you can."

Ruby nods and grabs the sharpener on the shelf before taking it and the knife into the bathroom, where there's the sound of running water for a few seconds, followed by the gritty sound of metal grinding on stone for several minutes.

Finally Ruby comes back out, flipping the knife around to hand it to Amelia by the blade.

Amelia takes it and runs it along her arm, much to her surprise it cleanly shaves the hair off.  
"Good job! I didn't expect it to be _that_ sharp, guess I should have expected it considering you use a scythe."

Ruby curtsies, practically beaming with excitement.  
"So, you ready to go have that competition?"

Amelia shakes her head and unclips her plate carrier before swinging it off and placing it on the back of the chair.  
"Nah, not right now. Tomorrow. I've got some stuff to get from town, including more ammunition."

Ruby slumps her shoulders momentarily to show her disappointment, but she's quickly back to her bubbly self.  
"Okay! You want to go alone or you want us to come with you?"

Amelia pushes her feet back into the black combat boots and laces them up, being sure to pull them tight.  
"Y'all can come along if you want, I'm not going to force you."

With that she takes the scabbard for her bayonet off her vest and attaches it to her belt.

Out of curiosity she looks in the closet, and finds the duster. "...So that's where that went."

She pulls it off the coat hanger and throws it on, buttoning it up as she walks towards the door.

"Hey, you going to take this?"  
Amelia turns around to find Ruby holding her baseball cap out.

"Oh yeah, thanks."  
She takes the hat and puts it on, pulling her hair through the back of it like she always does. "Alright, let's go."

Ruby opens the door and leads the way out while Amelia closes and locks it behind them.

After forming a small posse to head into town with, they hop onto a shuttle, and after a short flight they land in Vale.  
When she steps off the airship into the snow she instinctively scans her surroundings, and her eyes settle on a familiar face at the tollbooth.

"Hold up one sec guys! I've got to thank someone!"

She jogs over to the booth and taps him on the shoulder, grabbing his attention from the book he's reading.  
"Hey! You're looking better! What did you do, stow away somewhere?" The guard from a few days earlier asks, a teasing smile on his face.

"Nope! I talked to the headmaster, he's my uncle."

The guards jaw drops and he stares at her, trying to figure out if she's messing with him.  
"You're kidding me right?"

Amelia snorts. "Nope! But anyway, I wanted to thank you. You're the one who made this whole thing possible. Now I've got a roof over my head, three hots and a cot, and I can continue my training to become a huntress. Thank you so much."

She eases forward and quickly hugs him before stepping back and snapping a loose salute.

"You're very much welcome. You take care of yourself and come visit every so often, y'hear?"

Amelia nods and wheels around, jogging over to where the rest of the group is.

"Alright, first stop is the clothing store!" Coco cheers, slapping Amelia on the back.

"Who was that?" Velvet asks.

Amelia smiles as they walk down the sidewalk, her ears pointed forward.  
"That was the guard who helped me get my life back on track to become a huntress."

* * *

At Amelia's insistence they manage to convince Coco to help her shop for functionality and comfort more than fashion. When they walk out from the store Amelia scored multiple pairs of tan and black camouflage military fatigues, which blends in perfectly with her equipment.

They follow Ruby to her favorite weapon shop, where Amelia buys a larger backpack and loads it with ammunition for Snakebite and Centurion, as well as she buys a new gas block for Snakebite and new gun oil.

They're heading to Tukson's when Amelia spots something in an alley, causing her to backpedal.

She stares at the snow-covered, shivering figure for a second. Suddenly her eyes widen and she sprints over, baseball-sliding to a stop next to it.  
"Hey, you alright?!"

She shakes him, and the Lynx Faunus' eyes flutter open, his breath coming in ragged and short pants.  
"C-c-c-cold..." he stutters out, slightly raising his head to look at her.

Amelia turns and frantically waves her friends over before brushing the snow off of him. Yang reaches the two first, and Amelia hauls him to his feet before pivoting so she's under his right arm.  
"Yang, take his left arm. He's going to die if we don't get him help."

The blonde nods and gets under his left arm, and they slightly lift him up before carrying him out of the alley.

"Come on people! Double time!" Amelia snarls at everyone else, who stood and stared while her and Yang helped him up.  
His toes drag in the snow as they carry him down the sidewalk, getting several scowls and sour looks from people as they hurry past.

It's only a block to Tukson's from where they found the Faunus, but it feels like a mile as Amelia watches the hypothermic Faunus fade in and out of consciousness on her shoulder.

Finally they reach the front of the book store, and Amelia barges in with the Faunus and Yang close behind her

"Sorry Tukson but this guy is worse than I was and I'm not about to let him die!" She talks quickly as she carries him behind the counter, past Tukson, and up the stairs in the back room.

When they get upstairs she sets him down on the couch and grabs her wool blanket from the corner. Before she wraps the blanket around him she takes off his stiff jacket and his soaked T-shirt, exposing the guy's thin pale form.

She throws the blanket over him and wraps it around him, slapping him in the face lightly a few times to make sure he's still awake.  
Tukson taps her on the shoulder, and she straightens up.  
"I'll take care of him. You watch the store."

She nods and reluctantly heads down the stairs, coming out of the back room to stand behind the counter.  
Everyone from Beacon looks at her hopefully, and she just shrugs.  
"Too soon to tell yet. He was in bad shape, but he might make it. Tukson is amazing when it comes to bringing people back from hypothermia."

Everyone relaxes slightly, most of them sit down against the wall, putting the bags next to them.  
"How…can you…move so fast…While carrying that much ammunition?" Ruby asks, as she leans against the wall, out of breath from running so much.

"Adrenaline is a lovely thing." Amelia sighs, leaning on the counter after she puts her backpack full of ammo on the floor.

Everyone nods in agreement, some more out of breath than others.

"Someone throw me that winter coat I bought."

Yang tosses it to her and she catches it, swiftly taking the duster off before putting the puffy white coat on.

She folds the duster up and puts it on the chair in the corner behind the counter before sitting down in the chair next to it.

Two hours pass before Tukson comes downstairs. Everyone looks at him hopefully, and he nods.  
"He'll live."

Everyone sighs in relief, and Amelia walks over to him.  
"Thank you for helping me, and thank you for helping him."

He smiles and plants a kiss on her head before grabbing the duster.  
"Don't mention it. Just doing what's right. I'm glad you're doing better too. You were looking pretty damn ragged when you left a couple days ago."

Amelia nods and leans back against the counter.  
"Yeah, the doctors did some blood tests on me, turns out going to see him in person was a good idea, because I had traces of Rabies and Tetanus in my blood."

Tukson raises both eyebrows in surprise.  
"Yeah, I had the same reaction. I'm all fixed up now, just need to keep eating plenty."

He smiles and gently punches her in the shoulder.  
"Well, good for you. I want you to be the best marksman huntress in all of Remnant by the time you graduate, you hear?"

"Yes sir!" She chirps, giving him a lazy salute.

He chuckles, looking at everyone sitting around the store.  
"Alright, well, I'll let you know when he's healthy. You all had better get back to Beacon."

Amelia nods and grabs her backpack before scribbling something on a notepad and handing it to Tukson.  
"That's my number. Let me know when he's alright. I'll stop by in a few days."

Tukson leans in the doorway to the back room, putting the piece of paper in his pocket.  
Everyone starts standing up, grabbing the bags they were carrying and shuffling towards the door.

"You take care Tuk."  
Amelia yells over her shoulder as she walks out, flipping up the fur-lined hood of her new jacket.

* * *

When they get back to Beacon they drop Amelia's new purchases off at her dorm and head to the cafeteria for lunch, staying relatively quiet as they all worry about the Faunus Amelia had helped.

The cafeteria is packed when they get there, the snow discourages most people from taking a shuttle to Vale for fear of getting stuck in town should the shuttles shut down.  
Loading two large patties of meat onto some bread Amelia once again stacks her tray with food before finding a spot in the far corner of the cafeteria

When she sits down she finds that nobody had followed her, and instead they had all chosen to sit with people they knew.  
She internally debates moving while she eats the burger, not really paying any attention to the taste whilst deep in thought. Her train of thought gets derailed when someone sits down next to her, and her head jerks up in surprise. It's only Velvet, who bears a warm smile as she sits down on the gray bench.

"Oh, hey Velvet.

"Hey, what's up?"

"Just...anxiety is getting the best of me. I'm not really a fan of large groups...it's something I gained while in the mines...the guards would always use force to break up groups of people bigger than four or five with batons and..."  
Amelia internally curses her nervous babbling and shuts up before she can reveal anymore of her past, causing Velvet to give her a sympathetic nod before squeezing her shoulders.

"And what?"

Amelia stares at her tray with a pained expression, as if remembering each and every hit from the guards.  
"And...knives..."

she slowly turns and pulls up the back of her shirt, revealing dozens of scars crisscrossing her back.

Velvet quietly gasps and covers her mouth, her eyes wide in shock.  
Before anyone else can see the scars Amelia pulls her shirt back down and turns back to look towards Velvet.

"Promise you won't tell anyone until I do. You're the only other person who knows in Vale other than my doctor and Tukson."

"I...I promise."

Amelia hugs her quickly before disengaging and picking at her food with her fork while in thought.  
"I...I'll tell you about my past if you promise you'll keep it a secret until I'm ready to come out with it. It's something that I've carried on my shoulders, and now that I have someone I can trust I need to get it off."

Velvet blinks a few times while looking at Amelia, and after several quiet seconds she gives a warm smile.  
"I promise, not a peep until you give the okay."

Amelia smiles, her hazel eyes soften as she looks at the rabbit Faunus.  
"Thank you...I know we've only known each other for a couple days, but you're about as close to family as I know I have right now."

"But...what about Ozpin? You said you're related."

Amelia shakes her head.  
"It's...complicated. I'll explain more when I get my belongings back from the SDC."

Velvet looks over towards the heiress at the group and then back to Amelia.  
"By the way...what was that about at breakfast? Something in regards to your past?"

Amelia nods and pulls the small tag out of her shirt, cupping it in her hand so only Velvet can see it.

"Weiss' father...killed my mom right in front of me...everything that I'd suppressed came rushing back to me, and I just couldn't handle it. So I separated myself until I was better. I didn't trust myself not to hurt her."

Velvet blinks while staring at the small yellow tag in Amelia's hand, the black numbers on it still easy to read.  
Amelia tucks the necklace back into her shirt and tilts her head down, pointing at a small spot on her left ear where no hair grows.

"Scar tissue?"

Amelia nods and takes a bite of her burger.  
"Tunnel worker seven-four-two-six."  
Amelia quietly rattles off the numbers and stares at her tray, a very light wispy fog seems to stick near her skin as the memories of being in the dust mines replay in her head.  
A gentle shake on her shoulder snaps her out of her memories.

"Huh?"

"You alright? You're crying."

Sure enough, heavy, warm tears are rolling down Amelia's face and dripping onto the table.  
"I...yeah...I'm alright, Just...hard memories."

Amelia brings up her hand and wipes her eyes before being offered a napkin by Velvet.  
"Thanks."

She wipes her eyes with the napkin, and then her face before placing it on the table.

"If you want...we can go talk about this somewhere else. I mean, there's a ton of people in here."

Amelia nods and quickly wolfs down her food before standing up.  
The two Faunus drop their trays off with the dish-washing crew and head towards the dorms, but they hit a 'snag' on the way there.

* * *

With Velvet in the lead Amelia scans the halls alertly as they walk, but she doesn't notice when a door opens behind her.  
"Hey _mutt_!"

Amelia slows to a stop and turns around to find the entirety of team CRDL standing yards away, all of them in full combat equipment.

"The hell do you want? Did I not kick your ass hard enough the first time?" Her voice is full of sass as she crosses her arms across her chest.

"I'm going to teach you to obey like a good dog." He chuckles, hefting his mace onto one shoulder.

Amelia snorts, and thick fog starts rolling off her, spreading across the floor before rising and covering the entire hall in a light haze.  
"Come and have a go if you think you're hard enough."

Velvet takes the hint and beats feet down the hall, hiding behind the corner as she watches the fight.

Cardin lunges forward, swinging his mace in an overhead strike, but Amelia casually sidesteps the blow. Cardin grins and relaxes, staring down at the empty crater in the carpet.  
"Heh, that'll teach you."

Amelia cackles as he hefts his mace up onto his shoulder.

When he turns around he stumbles back in shock, staring at his team with fear in his eyes.  
"So, _that's_ what you're afraid of. Good to know!" Amelia chuckles as he drops his mace and runs away in fear.

The rest of CRDL stare at her like she's crazy, and Amelia picks up the mace before leaning on it like a cane.  
"Oh, that's right, you chumps don't know what my semblance is. Well allow me to introduce myself. My name is Amelia Ellis, and my semblance allows me to _completely_ take control of your senses and manipulate them to create lifelike hallucinations. So unless you want to find out what your deepest, darkest fears are, I suggest you leave me the hell alone."

The three men drop their weapons and put their hands up in surrender, causing Amelia to grin before withdrawing her fog.  
She turns around once the fog is all gone, dropping the mace before casually strolling down the hall to Velvet.

"You won't believe what Cardin is afraid of." She chuckles, putting her hands in her pockets as she walks.

"What?"

"Clowns."

* * *

 **I hope y'all enjoyed! Feel free to leave a review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I see y'all like this story, glad to hear!**

 **This chapter's longer than usual, but it was that or have it be pointlessly short.**

 **As always, enjoy!**

* * *

Once they'd settled down in Amelia's dorm she'd started from the beginning, and Velvet noticed that she was rather happy about it, but all that changed in an instant when she got to graduation from Signal. The Faunus took on a shy and very minimalistic approach to describing her family, hardly mentioning any funny stories about them, and completely avoiding saying any names other than 'sister' or 'father', almost as if she'd partially detached herself from her old life.

"My mother and I were out on a small day-long vacation when they came...they took us completely by surprise, they knew where all the early-warning devices I'd set were. We were swimming...I had all my weapons back at home save for my knife. They grabbed the nearest person, stuck a gun to her head threatening to kill her if all the Faunus didn't come with them. We got loaded up in the back of a freight ship like livestock...there was hardly enough room to sit down, much less sleep."

She chokes up for a second and takes a deep breath to calm herself before continuing.

"When they finally opened the door they had us line up in the snow outside a small building. Most of us were still in our swimsuits, some of us were still wet even...then they herded us one by one into this building, and they tagged us. They got our names, what type of Faunus we were, and sent us into a heated amphitheater. We were told how to mine dust, given picks, and sent down the mineshaft after they'd given us some clothes that sort of fit. It wasn't bad at first, the tunnels we worked in were heated, but the more we worked the harder it got to breathe. When we came out that night we were told all our belongings had been collected, and if we worked for a year we would be free to go...then we were given a little food and sent to a couple of bunkhouses. That went on for four months until..."

She chokes up again, her breath shaky as she breathes slowly, trying to compose herself.

"Until I ran away. I jumped onto a dust carrier bound for Vale, and that's how I ended up here. I had someone send a letter for me, letting my father know that I was alright and that I needed my equipment and some clothes. When I got it I could finally head into the forest to sleep, instead of sleeping in the city where people tried to steal my stuff."

She lays back, spreading her arms as she flops down on the bed.  
"That's my life. I can give you some time to process it all if you want."

Velvet sits and thinks for a minute before turning to face her.  
"Have you tried contacting your family? We can go use the CCT."

Amelia stares at the ceiling for a minute before sitting up and grabbing her plate carrier.  
"Let's go. I can't wait to go to Vacuo to see them."

She throws her plate carrier on and grabs Snakebite as she heads for the door.  
Velvet jumps up and pulls her coat on as she follows Amelia out the door, a new look of determination on Amelia's face tells her she's not going to take no for an answer if they're not allowed in the CCT.

Velvet's assumption is correct, and when they reach the CCT the guards move to stop them, but freeze when they see Amelia's determination, combined with her white-knuckled grip on Snakebite.  
"I haven't talked to my family in almost two and a half years. _Move_." She snarls, and the guards quickly move out of the way, permitting them to enter the elevator.

When they reach the top Amelia ignores the other people in the room and follows Velvet to a private booth, where she can talk in private.  
Velvet explains to her how to use the panel and steps away.  
Amelia quickly taps in the code for the Shade academy CCT, and after a couple seconds it connects, displaying a guard

{Hello, how can I help you?}

"Hello, could you connect me to the Ellis residence? South side, plot twelve."

{Of course, one moment.}

The screen displays the Shade academy emblem for a minute before it changes to display a black-haired man dressed in a tan shirt and shorts.  
He stares in shock at the screen, his hazel eyes blinking several times.

"Hi...Hi dad..."

Her voice makes him flinch, snapping him out of his daze.  
{A...Amy...? I-is that really you?}

"Yeah dad...it's me...I'm sorry for not contacting you again sooner..."

{Never mind that! Where have you been young lady?! You had me worried sick!}

She flattens her ears and shrinks back a little.

"Sorry...it's...it's a long story...I'll be in Vacuo in a few days and I can explain it then. I just wanted to check in on you guys and make sure you're still living in the same place. How are you?"

{Well, Cassie is going to Shade, she's been slapped on team BRNZ as a fifth member. May Zedong is in that team, you remember her?}

"Of course I remember her, she's the one who taught me to shoot!"

{Oh yeah, how could I forget?}

Amelia snorts and gives a teasing smile.  
"Don't go senile on me yet old man."

{Haha, _very funny_. But anyways, we've been searching high and low for you all over, where are you?}

"I'm at Beacon right now. You remember Ozpin? I came here a couple days ago and he helped me out. I'm a student here now."

{And before that? Where were you?}

Amelia looks sheepish, and tries to skirt around the question by not directly answering it.  
"Oh you know...I moved around a bit...did some jobs killing Grimm..."

{Amelia Ellis. Answer the question.}

"I...I was homeless on the streets...that's why I didn't contact you..."

{And why didn't you go to Oz earlier? You know he would have helped you.}

"Because...look, I'll tell you when I come to Vacuo. It's not the kind of thing I want to talk about if we're not face-to-face."

{...Alright. There'd better be a good reason or you're in deep shit. Understand?}

"Yes sir. And there is a good reason, but again, I'll save it for when we meet."

{Okay. I've got to head to work. Talk to you soon. I love you.}

"Love you too. Bye dad."

The call ends, and Amelia steps out of the booth, where Velvet is waiting.  
"So how'd it go?"

Amelia smiles and starts crying, tears of joy roll down her face and drip off her chin as relief washes over her.

"They're _alive_!"

* * *

The day after Amelia contacted her family she psyches herself up for her competition against Ruby. She wakes up early and heads to breakfast, where she heaps on the food again and devours it all in minutes before heading to the arena, where Ruby told her to wait.  
While she's waiting she plays with her semblance a little, making fog battles between Grimm and soldiers in the arena while she watches from the stands.

Finally a half hour later Ruby walks in, stopping in the doorway as she watches the battle between a dozen Beowolves and four heavily-armed soldiers in fascination.  
One of the smoky men kicks the fight off, firing a large three-barreled chain gun from the hip as the smoky Grimm scatter, one of them dissolving in a puff of smoke when the burst from the weapon connects with it.  
The three other men form a four-point diamond and drop to one knee, firing their weapons at the Grimm as the beasts rush them. The Grimm fall one by one, none of them even getting close to the armor-plated ghost soldiers. As they fall though, more rise out of the fog on the floor and join the fight, through sheer numbers the Grimm begin to overwhelm the troopers, getting close enough that they are forced into close quarters knife-and-fist engagements. The smallest of the four rolls out of the way as a Boarbatusk rolls through the group, knocking the largest of them onto his stomach from a grazing blow. The smallest fires his rifle at the boarbatusk before he has to roll again as a Beowolf swipes at him. The largest trooper pushes himself up and looks around for his smoky weapon, which he finds nearby. He stumbles over to it as the rest of the team stab, punch, and bludgeon the smoky Grimm with their rifles.

When he reaches it he grabs the large gun by the barrels and swings it like a club, smacking the boarbatusk that had come around again.  
The beast flies up into the air, flying over the stands before smacking into the wall and disappearing. The man puts the large weapon on his shoulder and salutes like he just hit a home run before he's forced back into the fight by an Ursa.

As the fight between the two ghostly army's drags on Amelia doesn't notice the crowd that gathers to watch the fight, hundreds of students silently shuffle in and watch as the soldiers eliminate the Grimm for another ten minutes.

* * *

When the battle ends the four soldiers stand untouched and victorious. They all lower their weapons and relax before walking to each other, exchanging high-fives and fist bumps. Once they're done celebrating they dissolve and melt into the fog on the floor.  
The crowd bursts into cheering and applause while some of them whistle with their fingers, causing Amelia to look up towards the top of the stands, now aware of the hundreds of students that had watched the entire display.  
She quickly gets up and turns to the crowd before giving a small bow, causing the crowd to cheer even louder.

"Please tell me you recorded that." Ruby nudges Yang, who holds up her scroll.

"Every single second.

Ruby grins and walks down to Amelia, who's talking to a few people that had been in the crowd, and had come down to give her words of praise.

Amelia wears a huge grin, a little bit of wispy fog hangs around her, inches off her skin as she finishes talking to the three people and walks up to Ruby.  
"You want to go first? I figured since you were a student before I was you should set the bar."

Ruby pulls the folded up Crescent Rose from behind her back and holds it at her side.  
"Sure, I'll go first. I hope you're ready."

Amelia chuckles and pats Ruby on the shoulder before sitting down. Ruby jumps into the arena and unfolds Crescent Rose to its rifle form, nodding to Amelia once she lands. Amelia tabs on her scroll a few times, and a countdown timer appears above the arena. Finally a buzzer sounds the start of Ruby's time, and the caped girl gets a decent time, killing all thirty pop-up Grimm targets in a hair under one minute and fifteen seconds.

Amelia grins and jumps into the arena, landing next to Ruby before handing the scroll to her.  
"Prepare to be amazed." Amelia chuckles as she pulls a magazine out of a pouch on her vest and smacks it into Snakebite.

Ruby waits for the nod from Amelia, and hits the start button on the scroll, starting the countdown timer.  
Amelia pulls the charging handle back on her rifle and lets it slam forward, locking a round into the chamber as she widens her stance.

Just as the countdown reaches one Ruby remembers something that Amelia had said to her the previous day.  
 _'A designated marksman rifle is a balance of accuracy, range, and engagement speed.'  
_ Then Ruby realizes what kind of competition this is.

It relies on accuracy, and engagement speed, and while Ruby may have accuracy in her court, Amelia has _both_.

The buzzer goes off, and Amelia snaps her rifle up, dropping the first two targets that pop up with a double-tap to the chest each.  
Ruby watches in a daze as Amelia completely shatters her time, getting a time of forty-seven seconds flat.  
When the last target drops Amelia drops her second magazine out and clears the chamber, catching the round midair before turning to a gawking Ruby.

"So, what was that about me losing?"

Ruby stares in awe for a moment before slumping her shoulders.  
"Alright, you win, I'll drop the plans off at your dorm after lunch today."

"Hey, cheer up, you still did pretty well. It's hard to get good times with a bolt action."

Amelia ruffles Ruby's hair as Yang walks over.  
"Since you did so well we'll trade, alright? I'll get the plans drawn up as soon as I can."

Ruby's eyes light up and she perks up, the disappointment of losing replaced by enthusiasm.  
"Really?"

"Yep, I'll even give you the barrel conversion plans once I get them."

"AWESOME!"

Yang hugs Ruby from behind her before letting go and walking around to face both of them from the side.  
"You did your best sis, but you kinda got ahead of yourself this time!"

Amelia flinches, her smile disappears for a few seconds before she gives a nervous laugh and fakes a smile.  
"Well! I've got to go pack for my trip! I'll talk to you guys in a bit!"  
She jogs off quickly, leaving Yang and Ruby standing in the arena together.

* * *

When she reaches her dorm she quickly steps inside and practically slams the door behind her before she throws Snakebite on the bed and pulls out a military-style duffel bag, which she sets upright beside her dresser. She packs enough clothes for four days and then sets about cleaning Snakebite, which she then puts inside the bag along with her vest and backpack.  
She grabs another change of clothes and heads into the bathroom to shower.

When she's getting ready to shower she steps up to the mirror and looks close at her right temple when she sees a small line.

"When did that happen...?"

She uses her fingertips and traces the scar from the corner of her eye up past her hairline before she loses it in her hair.  
"Huh...oh well." She shrugs as she steps away from the mirror and into the bathtub.

She enjoys the shower for a half hour before she gets out and dries herself off, using a hairdryer Coco had bought her to dry her long hair.  
"Wow, this thing works amazingly well."  
The new hairdryer has her hair dry in minutes, much to her relief after she's done.

She's just slipping a tan shirt on when there's a knock at the door.

"One moment!"

She hastily pulls her cargo pants on and opens the door to find Weiss holding an envelope.  
"Here you are, there's a private plane at the airport, hand the gate guard this and he'll let you on."

Amelia takes the envelope and leaves the door open as she walks over to her bed, where her hat, holster, and pistol are.  
She puts the holster in its usual spot on her right thigh and jams her pistol in it before putting her hat on over her hair.  
Finally she grabs her duffel and scroll before walking back to the door.

"Thank you again Weiss."

Weiss points to the small desk next to the door.  
"Aren't you forgetting something?"

Amelia looks over to find her money pouch and knife sitting on the desk.

"Oh yeah! Thanks...that would've sucked."

She puts her knife scabbard on her belt and the money pouch in her pocket before stepping out the door and closing it behind her.

"Wow, you're sure in a hurry." Weiss states plainly.

"Well, if you hadn't seen Winter for several years you'd be anxious to see her again too, wouldn't you?"

Weiss thinks about that for a minute before she places a hand on her hip.  
"Of course! But it hasn't been that long for you...has it?"

Amelia locks her door and nods.  
"Walk with me."

She starts walking down the hall, and Weiss walks alongside her.  
"Because I was at Signal right before...y'know. I hadn't spent any significant amount out time with my sister for several months, so it's been more like two and a half years since I've spent more than maybe twenty minutes with her."

Weiss gives a slow understanding nod.  
"So...if I may ask...how old are you?"

Amelia deadpans as they walk, trying to think.  
"Ehhhhh...what month is it?"

"November."

"Then I'm twenty."

"Wow...you look more like you're maybe seventeen."

"Thank you."

"You are very much welcome."

An awkward silence descends upon them as they walk, Weiss starts texting someone on her scroll as they walk, and soon they reach the landing pads.  
Amelia's ears twitch and pivot forward as they exit, in front of them stands the entirety of CFVY, and RWBY.

"What, did you really think you could slip out without saying goodbye?" Coco asks, putting her hands on her hips.

"Err...no? I really was just focused on seeing my family I forgot about you guys...sorry..."

She walks up to the two groups, where she's repeatedly slapped on the back and hugged before everyone escorts her to the bullhead that's waiting to take her to the airport. She climbs in and grabs a loop hanging from the ceiling as she waves goodbye to everyone.  
Once the bullhead takes off the side door closes, shutting off her view of her friends as she flies off.

* * *

Everything is uneventful as she walks to her gate and gives the guard the letter, which he quickly reads before handing it back and allowing her to board. She stows her bag on the seat next to her before the private jet starts to taxi, and once it's airborne she pulls her rifle and vest out, donning them before she closes the bag back up and puts it between her knees.

The flight is smooth and short, and she's surprised when the plane touches down at the airport. She looks out a nearby window to see Shade academy in the distance, hundreds of small mud huts stretch out over the dry landscape.  
As soon as the plane stops she jumps up and shoulders her bag, tightly securing all of her weapons to herself before she steps off.

The flight attendant opens the hatch, and a blast of hot air hits Amelia in the face, welcoming her back home.

She's the first one off the plane, and her pace remains quick as she leaves the airport and gets a ride to the south district. The palm trees in the south residential district get larger as she gets closer, and she gets even more anxious the closer she gets.

Finally the man drops her off at the entrance to the residential district, and she gives him a healthy tip before she takes off running, Snakebite in her hands.

She remembers this path, all these houses, every last palm tree as she jogs down the street, the occasional person giving her a welcome nod as she runs past.  
Finally she slows to a halt in front of a two-story house, staring at it for a minute before she quickly slings Snakebite on her shoulder.

She slowly walks forward, as if she didn't want the dream to end if it is one, and pauses at the door before grabbing the handle and pushing the door open slowly, as if in a daze. The door squeaks a little on its hinges as it opens and she walks in, it creaks and closes behind her when she lets go. She gently puts her bag and rifle down by the door as she looks around, all the memories of her childhood coming back to her. She stands on the place-mat in a daze, desperately trying to kick her disbelief out of her mind.

She hears a padded pair of feet from the kitchen, and a woman comes around the corner, halting as soon as she sees Amelia.  
They stare in surprise at each other for at least thirty seconds before there's more thumping of padded feet, followed by a voice that makes Amelia flinch.  
"Is someone he-"

Her dad halts when he sees Amelia, and they too stare for several seconds, their eyes wide as saucers before they both simultaneously rush forward and hug each other tightly, as if afraid the other may dissolve into thin air.

"I missed you so much...don't you ever disappear like that ever again." Her dad quietly scolds her as he sobs.

"I missed you too... it won't happen ever again." She sobs back, her nose being assaulted by the all-too-familiar scent of her dad as she buries her face in his shoulder.

"W-where...where's your mother?" He asks fearfully as he pulls out of the embrace, putting his hands on her shoulders.

Amelia closes her eyes, a small, yet incredibly emotional smile developing on her face as the tears continue to flow.  
"She's...she's with me," She pauses when she pulls her necklace out of her shirt. "Always."  
The yellow ear tag falls against her chest with no sound as it swings on the metal necklace.

He crushes her in another hug, and she welcomes the pressure, it seems to fill the hole in her chest.  
"Honey I'm so sorry..." he starts, but she stops him by putting her fingers up to his lips.

"Don't be. There was nothing you could have done. It wasn't in any of our control. Some sick bastard took her from us, and when I get my hands on him he's gonna pay."

He just nods as they hold each other, remaining in the embrace for several minutes.  
Finally he breaks from the hug and motions for the brown haired woman to come over.  
"Dawn, this is Amelia, my oldest daughter. Amy, this is Dawn, your step-mother."

"Pleased to meet you, I'm sorry to hear about your mother." They gently shake hands and exchange greetings before they all sit down in the living room.

"So what happened?" Her father asks as he pours water into three glasses.

"The Schnee Dust Company decided we fit the bill for conscription into their mining operations in Atlas." Amelia growls, more than a little hostility towards the SDC in her voice.

"You...did you escape..?" He asks quietly, leaning forward in his chair.

"Yes I did, I only served four months. Then I snuck aboard a ship and ended up in Vale."

"Then you know they'll be after you right?"

Amelia nods and pats her holster on her leg.  
"If they want me, they can come and get me."

He nods solemnly and sips at his glass.  
"Plus, thanks to uncle Oz I'm considered a student at Beacon, so they couldn't lay a finger on me if the wanted to."

Dawn grins but doesn't say anything.  
"Speaking of being a student, you need to go visit your sister."

Amelia nods in response to her father.  
"That's my next stop, do you have May's number? I'm going to need a guide."

He pulls out his scroll and looks through his contacts briefly before handing it to her.  
She copies the number into her scroll and hands his back.

"Do you think you can have her wait at the landing pads? Don't tell her who it is, I want it to be a surprise."

He smiles and dials the number, leaning back in his chair as it rings.  
{Hello?}

"Hello May, it's Cassie's dad. Do you think you could meet someone at the landing pads in half an hour? It's a possible new student.

{Uhh, sure? I was going to make some more Dust ammunition, but it can wait.}

"They're really good with Dust mixing, so they could help you once they're done with their business. You'll know who it is when you see them."

{Oh, alright! I'll be there!}

"Thank you May, b'bye now."

{*click*}

Amelia chuckles and stands up, grabbing her rifle and slinging it across her back as she slowly walks to the door.  
"I'll come back home once I'm done at Shade, I hope you don't mind if I stay a few days."

"How could I mind? You're my daughter!"  
She blows a kiss to him and heads out the door, letting it swing shut behind her.

* * *

She wastes no time getting to the shuttles, and happily pays for a visitors pass before boarding fifteen minutes early.  
The shuttle arrives at the landing pads ten minutes before May is supposed to meet her, so she finds a tucked away corner in the building and waits in the shadows.

While she's waiting she replaces her baseball cap with a coyote tan shemagh from her backpack, wrapping it so it covers her entire head and face.  
She doesn't have to wait long, and May walks out of the large doors with her typical beanie on her head, despite the temperatures being well within the triple digits. She watches from her spot as May walks over to a pillar and leans against it, watching the landing pads with her arms crossed.

As quietly as possible Amelia casually walks from her hiding spot and approaches her from the side that her hair covers before rounding the pillar and leaning against it next to her old friend.  
"Hey there sharpshooter, looking for someone?"

May's head snaps up at her voice and looks over, her eyes wide as saucers.  
Amelia stands up straight and pulls the shemagh down around her neck, revealing her face.  
"Miss me?"

May jumps at her and slams into her, wrapping her up in a hug, but otherwise remains silent.

"I thought so. Glad to see you, it's been a while."

May pulls back from the hug and scowls at her, putting her hands on her hips.  
"Where the hell have you been!? Your sister's been a soulless wreck ever since you disappeared!"

Amelia leans forward and points to the bald spot on her ear.  
"Four months in the Schnee Dust mines, and the rest spent homeless in Vale."

May's scowl disappears, replaced by shock.  
"Oh...I'm sorry..."

Amelia puts a finger up to May's lips, silencing her.  
"Don't be. I'm honestly getting tired of hearing that. Instead I want you to call Cassie to your dorm, tell her it's a team meeting, but don't mention me."

May nods and pulls out her scroll before furiously typing on it.  
She sends the message and a few seconds later she gets a response.  
"She's already there."

"Awesome, lead the way, you know Shade better than I do."

Amelia re-wraps her shemagh around her head as they walk through the halls, and she gets a few questioning looks, but she ignores them.

They're walking past the library when a guy with dark red hair waves to May and walks over.  
"Yo May! What's up? Who's this?"

"Oh! Hey Nolan! I'm just being a guide right now, showing an old friend around."

Nolan looks Amelia up and down, eyeing her weapons and equipment.  
"An old friend huh? What's her name? Where's she from?"

May looks to Amelia, silently asking if she can answer, but Amelia answers instead.  
"I'm from the south district. If you want to find out who I am, then follow us, because you'll find out soon."

Nolan eyes her cautiously before shrugging and giving May an 'after you' gesture.

May leads them down several corridors before they reach the dorm, but when she tries to push the door open it doesn't budge.  
"What? I unlocked it..."

Amelia tries it, and recognizes the feeling. She leans into May's ear and whispers as quietly as possible.  
"It's barricaded from the other side. How much is a door?"

May scowls at her and tries again, to no avail.  
"A door is fifty Lien."

Amelia grabs her pouch of money and pulls out fifty Lien, handing it to her before she unslings her rifle.  
She motions for May and Nolan to move aside and stands in front of the door across the hall. She braces one foot against the wall as she lowers herself into a sprinter's position, Snakebite in her hands.  
She takes one deep breath before springing forward and slamming her right shoulder into the door, using her aura to amplify the force exerted.

The chair holding the door closed is reduced to splinters, along with the hinges and part of the doorframe, and the door falls inwards, landing in the middle of the room.

Cassie springs up from her bed in alarm, she reaches for a large weapon in the corner, but Amelia throws her knife, and it impales itself in the wall in between her hand and the gun.

"Who the hell are you?!" Cassie yells, reaching for her rifle again

Amelia pulls her shemagh down around her neck and slings her rifle.  
"Who the hell does it look like!? Quit reaching for your fucking rifle and welcome me like a proper person!"

Cassie freezes, her hazel eyes widen as she stares at her sister.

"Geez, I leave you alone for two years and this is how you greet me? Where the hell are your manners?" Amelia puts her hands on her hips and glares at Cassie, who's still staring in awe.  
Finally Cassie runs at Amelia and slams into her, hugging the taller girl around the waist.

Cassie is shorter than Amelia, with the same hair color and a stockier build, but instead of having just the gray wolf ears she also has a gray wolf tail.

That same tail remains tucked between her legs as she sobs into her sister's shirt over her plate carrier. Amelia holds her tightly and scratches behind her ears, which are flattened against her head.  
"Where were you!? I thought you were dead!"

"Hush, I know, I'm sorry. I couldn't control it. It's a long story, I'll tell you with the rest of the family."

Cassie nods into her shoulder and sniffles, squeezing her harder.  
Amelia puts her chin in between Cassie's ears and rubs her back, trying to calm her down as quickly as possible. It takes a few minutes, but she finally gets her to let go and sit down.

"Sorry about the door guys, but after two years I wasn't going to take no for an answer."  
Nolan laughs and picks the door up off the floor, putting it back in its relative place should it be open.

"It's alright, I understand." May sits down on her bed and looks at the two sisters.

Cassie is leaning against Amelia, her tail flailing behind her broadcasts her happiness like a neon sign as Amelia hugs her from one side.

"So where have you been? You didn't normally sweat before you disappeared." May asks as Amelia wipes beads of sweat off her forehead.

"Well, I spent four involuntary months in Atlas courtesy of the SDC, and then I jumped ship to Vale, where I'd been living on the streets until just recently. I talked to the headmaster at Beacon and got enrolled, he helped me out since we're technically family."

May nods and looks Amelia over, noting a scar along her collarbone that is half hidden by her shirt.  
"You been getting in fights? That's a pretty big scar you've got."

Amelia shakes her head.  
"Nope. That is what the Schnee Dust Company calls crowd control."

May deadpans, her mouth hanging open slightly.

"I can show you if you want, I've gotten better with my semblance."

She gulps and shakes her head.  
"No, not right now. Later perhaps."

Amelia smiles at her, she knows that May is trying to keep her mentally present instead of putting her through hard times, she always was really thoughtful about how she did things.  
"Alright, well, are you guys off for the week?"

"Uhhh...let me check, I think so." May pulls out her scroll and pulls up a calendar. "Yup, all week, classes on Sunday though."

Amelia sighs in relief and stands up.  
"Well, come on then, let's go get your Dust rounds loaded, I've gotta get some air, it's like a damn sauna in here."

While she's talking she walks over and pulls her knife out of the wall, wiping it off on her pant leg before putting it back in its scabbard

May jumps up and grabs her rifle, a bullpup sniper rifle.

"What, did you finally dump that peashooter you had?"

"No, I've still got it. I've been using it to teach people."

Cassie also stands up, she grabs a very bulky plate carrier off her bed and swings it on, quickly clipping the side straps into place before covering them over with the side flaps containing bulletproof ceramic plates.

"Oum's sake Cassie! Could you have picked a heavier setup!?"

Cassie grins as she grabs her rifle and slings it over one shoulder. Amelia only now notices the large double-barreled rocket launcher on the floor at the foot of the bed. Cassie picks up the launcher with one hand and puts it on her back, where a magnetic clamp holds it in place.

Cassie then grabs a second pair of launcher tubes and puts them vertically on the left side of her back before putting on a baseball cap identical to Amelia's.

"I'm going with you."  
Amelia gawks at the walking arsenal before her before throwing an arm over Cassie's shoulder and leading her out of the room behind May.

* * *

"Aaaaand just a few grains of earth dust…alright, mix that all together. _Carefully_." Amelia's face is covered by her shemagh while she's working with Dust, to avoid accidentally sneezing and detonating the extremely volatile mixture that she uses for propellant in her ammunition.

May has a bandanna covering her face while she gently mixes the Dust.

"Alright, that's good enough. Now measure out enough to fill half the cartridge."

May does as instructed while across the room Cassie finishes packing a pair of rocket warheads with Dust-infused plastic explosives.

Once the propellant charges are poured into the rifle cartridges May puts in her projectiles and seals the cartridges, handling them more crudely once the casings are sealed. The entire process only takes an hour, and they briefly return to May's dorm so she can grab a change of clothes.

* * *

It's the late evening when they finally leave Shade academy, and the temperatures have finally dropped below the triple digits in accordance with the setting sun.

"Let's head home first, then we can wander around when it's cooler."

There's a collective agreement and they weave through the various alleys to get to the house just as the sun disappears over the horizon, and Amelia pushes open the door with a smile.

"We're home~!"

"Welcome home! We're in the kitchen!" Her dad yells back, and the three of them walk into the kitchen, where they're eating dinner.

"Oh! Welcome home Cassie! Hello May! We're just eating dinner, care to join us?" Dawn motions to the three empty chairs at the table.

"Don't mind if we do!" Cassie grabs a plate and heaps it high with food.

May politely accepts and sits down with a plate, choosing to be more conservative with how much food she takes.

Amelia grabs a plate and sits down next to her father, being more generous than May, but not as greedy as Cassie.

"So…..we're all here…you going to tell us the full story?" Cassie asks, nervously shifting in her seat.

Amelia sighs and takes a drink of water before answering. "I suppose…."


	5. Chapter 5

**[A/N: The only thing I'm going to say is please read the author's note at the bottom, and enjoy the chapter.]**

* * *

" _Come on, tell me there's_ _ **some**_ _way to get out of here." Amelia hisses, trying to keep her voice low so the guards don't hear._

" _Nope, they've got this joint locked up tight." A very emaciated looking fox Faunus shakes her head before three more Faunus walk up._

" _I found a way." The youngest of the three whispers as they circle up. "The airships aren't checked when we finish loading them. And the guards change out at nine, if we take our time loading the crates you might be able to slip on before the guard change is complete."_

 _The fox Faunus suddenly pales._

" _Oh shit here comes Sparky, scatter!"_

 _Everyone looks towards where the fox is looking and slowly disperse, but it's too late, the enforcers descend on them with clubs and knives, and begin beating and slashing the Faunus without mercy._

 _Amelia holds her arms protectively across her stomach, but the enforcer she's facing pulls out a knife that glows red with flame Dust before slashing her across the chest, the hot blade cauterizing the wound as it creates it._

" _Alright! Alright!" Amelia yells, getting down on her knees. The enforcer pulls the knife back and jabs it forward to stab her in the throat, and things seem to move in slow motion just before it touches her._

* * *

"AHHHH!" Amelia straightens up out of bed with a start, her heart pounding in her chest as she gulps for air. The room is still dark, primarily reliant on the sunlight to brighten up. Cassie sits at the side of her bed, an extremely concerned look on her face.

"You alright? That was sounding like a pretty bad nightmare."

"Yeah…it was." Amelia huffs back, wiping the sweat off her face with her shirt.

"You want to talk about it?"

"It was more a flashback than a nightmare, I was back in the mines getting beaten up by the enforcers." She traces the scar on her chest with her fingers through her shirt, her breathing having calmed down, but her heart still hammering in her chest.

"What for?"

"Just for being in a group talking. If there were any groups talking that were bigger than maybe three the enforcers would come in and break it up using clubs and knives."

It's only now that Amelia notices the light fog inside the room, and she quickly turns her semblance off, allowing the fog to fall back to the floor and seep towards her in little trickles.

"That's the first time I've ever seen you activate your semblance in your sleep."

Amelia nods and takes a deep breath, activating her semblance a little so the fog hangs around her just inches off her skin.

"I never asked, why do you do that?"

"Huh? Oh, this? It's comforting, sorta like a safety blanket if you would."

"Oooohhhhh okay, that kinda makes sense."

They sit in silence on the edge of the bed until May sticks her head in the door.

"Hey, everything okay in here?"

"Not really, had a flashback."

May walks into the room and sits next to her, hugging her from the side.

"If you ever need to talk let me know."

"T-thanks May, I might take you up on that tomorrow, but for now we should get to sleep, I've got some serious fun planned."

"I was actually having some trouble sleeping myself…and I was wondering if you guys wanted to go clear out the oasis." May offers, stretching her arms above her head.

"I'm down, I couldn't sleep either." Cassie gets up and looks to Amelia. "You coming sis?"

Amelia yawns and stretches. "Why not, it'll be fun."

Cassie and May leave to get geared up, and Amelia quickly sheds her sleepwear in favor of her combat uniform.

They all sneak down the hall and into the entryway, where they finally don their boots and perform a final check on their weapons before heading out, closing the creaky door behind them.

* * *

"Lock and load ladies." Amelia says while she pulls a rifle magazine out of a pouch on her vest, the bright moon above illuminating the desert dunes surrounding a small oasis.

Cassie loads her rifle and lets it hang by the sling while she checks her launcher and flips the arming switch.

"Put that away, save it until we need it." May scowls at her, and Cassie groans before placing it on her back in favor of her rifle.

"Stay up here May, cover us until sight lines suck, then join up with us." Amelia commands, her gray ears pivoting alertly.

May nods in response, kneeling down on the crest of the dune while the two sisters expertly slide down it with their weapons raised. She notes the almost telepathic teamwork between them, how they cover certain areas and move without saying a single word or motioning.

When they reach the bottom of the dune a group of small Deathstalkers shake the sand off of them and go on the offensive, snapping their claws and jabbing with their tails.

A cacophony of gunfire breaks the tranquility of the oasis as the two sisters open fire.

May sets up a shot on the largest one, but it's dead by the time she's ready to fire, so she switches to another, but it's the same deal there too, lowering her rifle she looks over the scope to find the dozen Grimm dead in seconds, and the two sisters have already moved past them to the edge of the trees. Unable to see into the trees from her current position she stands up and slides down the dune, catching up with the two Faunus just as they finish off a second group of Deathstalkers at the edge of the water.

"May, that tree, climb it." Amelia points to a stubby ten foot tall palm tree before her and Cassie split up and head along opposite banks of the small pond, their pace matching each other though no words are said.

May finally reaches the top of the palm tree and sits in the top of it, able to see most of the oasis from her position, she scans the far side of the pond and finds a _very_ large Deathstalker holding its ground against Amelia, who bombards it with Dust grenades and slashes at any joints with her knife before her fog rolls out like a shockwave, with her and the Deathstalker in the epicenter. The Deathstalker seems uncertain to attack for a minute while Amelia circles it, then there's a shrill whistle across the pond and she drops to her stomach milliseconds before one of Cassie's rockets occupies the same spot and screams over her, slamming into the Deathstalker and blowing off the left claw. A second rocket shrieks over and slams into it, and it gives a high-pitched screech that causes Amelia to wince before jumping up and rushing at it with a grenade in hand.

May takes potshots at the eyes of the large scorpion before Amelia jumps up onto it and jams the grenade into the open wound from the missing claw, her right hand becoming covered in black Grimm blood before she jumps off and runs away.

"Fire in the hole!" She yells as she dives to the ground, her voice echoing across the oasis before the grenade detonates in a flash of white, leaving half of the scorpion covered in ice crystals before it dissolves.

* * *

When they reach the other end of the oasis they all regroup and head back into the dunes, towards Shade academy in the distance.

After ten minutes of walking Amelia suddenly grabs the other two and pulls them all to the ground, clamping her hand over May's mouth when she tries to protest.

She slowly crawls forward and peeks up over the crest of the next dune, where below them is an unmarked airship parked in the trough of the two dunes ahead.

"Smugglers?" Cassie asks, her ears laid against her head.

"No. Worse. That's the ship that we were shoved in when mom and I got abducted."

As if on cue three trucks roar over the opposite dune and stop next to the airship as the cargo hatch opens.

"Cassie, give me your launcher."

Cassie pulls the bulky launcher off her shoulder before pulling off the two empty tubes, slapping the loaded ones on, and handing it to Amelia.

"What are you going to do?" May asks as Amelia shuffles back a little and moves behind the crest with the launcher on her shoulder.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm destroying that damn ship so they can't abduct anyone."

Amelia moves down the dune, huddled over to keep her silhouette to a minimum before she pivots into a crouch and takes aim at the cockpit of the airship.

May gets ready to tell her not to fire, but it's too late, and the launcher fires, throwing a big plume of fire and smoke out the back as the rocket screams out the barrel, flying straight and true into the cockpit, where it detonates in a gigantic fireball. Amelia lets the second rocket loose and ducks down behind the crest moments before bullets kick up sand in front of her as the human traffickers shoot back.

Cassie takes the initiative and peeks over the crest with her rifle at the ready, and fires three shots before dropping down again as bullets occupy the spot she was in milliseconds earlier.

"They _really_ didn't like that!" Cassie yells with a bit of humor as Amelia drops into defilade from the traffickers and jogs back towards the two girls.

"I don't blame them! I just destroyed their operation, now time to clean up the mess and get the people back home!" Amelia throws the launcher to Cassie, who grabs it with one hand and puts it on her back before crawling ten feet left and popping up again.

May pops up and drops one before flopping back down on her stomach and crawling right.

The constant moving keeps the enemy from predicting where they'll pop up, and keeps the traffickers guessing as to how many people they're facing.

Amelia gives a quiet whistle and all three of them pop up simultaneously, laying into the armed guards before dropping down to reload.

"Four left!" Amelia yells, referring to the amount of hostiles.

Cassie pops up and fires three times before her rifle jams, and she drops it while reaching for her pistol. Seeing Cassie pop up Amelia bolts over the crest of the dune and slides down it, firing all the way until she runs out of ammo.

Once Cassie gets her rifle unjammed she waits for May to pop up and she too bolts over the dune, sliding down the loose sand while firing at the rear cargo hatch of the airship, where the remaining guards are taking cover.

Amelia runs around the back of the covered trucks, giving her a direct line of fire into the cargo bay.

Without any hesitation she flips her fire selector to 'full' and empties the entire magazine into the unprotected guards, dropping three of the four before her magazine runs dry.

She reaches for her pistol and the last remaining guard drops his rifle before raising his hands in surrender.

"I give up! Don't shoot!"

Amelia raises her pistol and keeps it aimed at him while she kicks the weapons out of reach of the fallen guards, just in case they aren't fully dead.

"Turn around and walk backwards down the ramp!" She yells at him, and he drops to both knees at the bottom of the ramp.

"No sudden moves or I _will_ shoot you." Amelia warns while she walks forward, pulling a pair of cable cuffs off her vest.

Cassie keeps her covered as she approaches and cuffs his hands behind his back, stands him up, and searches him.

Not to her surprise she finds a bottle of chloroform and a rag in his pockets, along with a scroll and a pocket knife.

May goes through the fallen guards and takes their weapons, stacking the multitude of automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols in the back of the airship while Amelia questions their prisoner.

"Alright here buddy, I've got a few questions to ask you. If you answer them all quickly and honestly, I'll probably let you live. Understand?"

He nods quickly, fear in his eyes.

"Question one, why are you here?"

"T-to kidnap Faunus!"

"Okay, sis, check the trucks."

Cassie walks over to the back of a truck and pulls the flap aside to look in.

"Yup, he's telling the truth! Everyone in here is a Faunus! Don't worry everyone, we'll get you back to your families."

Amelia grabs a canteen of water out of the airship and lets the prisoner take a gulp before continuing.

"Question two, who are you working for?"

"I-I-I don't know!"

"Is that so? Your stutter says otherwise, but we'll come back to that one later. Question three, what are you afraid of?"

"W-what d-do you mean?"

"You know _exactly_ what I mean. What is your deepest, darkest fear?"

"I-I-I d-don't know."

Amelia gives a half-crazed grin and squats down so she's in his face.

"Let's find out then."

She activates her semblance and the thick fog envelops him, completely shrouding the two from view.

"Oh that is _very_ interesting! I wonder if I do this…"

"AHHHHH! No! Get away! Someone _help!_ "

Amelia giggles and releases her hold on him, allowing the fog to dissipate. The prisoner is completely wide-eyed, gasping for air.

"Let's go back to question two, who do you work for?"

"T-t-the Schnee Dust Company!"

Amelia stands up with a smile on her face.

"See, now that wasn't so hard was it? Last question, you got a family?"

"Y-yeah?"

" _Good._ "

Before he can say anything Amelia pulls out her pistol and shoots him in the forehead, causing him to fall backwards as the gunshot echoes over the sand dunes.

"Fucking scum."

Cassie grimaces at her sister's treatment of him, but doesn't say anything about it.

"Alright girls! Let's mount up!" Amelia yells as she opens the driver's door of a truck and climbs in.

May gags at the sight of the executed prisoner but climbs into the second truck and starts the engine while Cassie climbs into the rear truck.

Amelia starts the engine in her truck and revs the engine a couple times before driving off towards Shade academy, May and Cassie follow the dust cloud from a distance so they don't have to breathe the sand.

* * *

They stop on the edge of town, free the kidnapped people, and have them return home before Amelia puts a block of explosives on the engine block of every truck and detonates it, rendering the vehicles a trio of scrap piles before they head home. Amelia notices May being incredibly quiet while they walk, and brings it up.

"You alright May?"

"Huh? Oh yeah! I'm fine!"

Amelia glares at her, and finally May gives in.

"I'm worried about you. The way you fought and how you treated that guy…. that wasn't _you_. You used to be so cheerful and wouldn't hurt anyone, but you shot that guy without batting an eye."

"May. That's because he was on the crew that abducted mom and I. I remembered his face. And I knew if I shot him straight off then you'd probably flip out on me."

"You didn't have to kill him! You could have-"

"Yes I did! He was the person that brought us to the mines! It's because of _him_ that mom is dead and I am who I am now!"

May notices the lack of a third set of footsteps and notices that Amelia is gone, nowhere to be found.

"Quit fucking with my head! I'm not done talking with you!" She yells at where Amelia used to be.

Cassie lays a hand on her shoulder.

"Just let it go for now, she's not herself."

"But-!"

" _May_. Let it go or I'm going to use _my_ semblance and then you'll be mad at _both_ of us."

May wisely shuts her mouth, and Amelia drops hold from her semblance, revealing that she's actually a hundred yards down the empty road already.

* * *

It's dawn by the time they get back, and Amelia's dad is waiting for them at the door.

"Where were you?"

Amelia avoids eye contact and takes a deep breath before answering.

"We couldn't sleep so we went to the oasis and cleared it out. On the way back we ran into the same human traffickers who kidnapped mom and me."

"And how did that go?"

Amelia clears her weapons and brushes past him, heading for her room. "They won't be bothering anyone anymore."

Her dad looks shocked at her blunt answer, hoping that she'd subdued them.

Cassie leans into his ear and whispers. "Something is seriously wrong with her dad, she executed a person and didn't bat an eye."

"I know honey, but the damage is done. There's really nothing we can do."

There's the sound of the door closing at the end of the hall and May steps in to say something.

"She asked him if he had a family, when he said yes she said 'good' and shot him. This isn't the Amelia I know."

"I know May. But we can't do anything without her go ahead, and we all know she's not going to give it."

May sits down on the couch and puts her head in her hands while Cassie gets her cleaning kit from her room.

Cassie is just coming out of her room when she hears something from Amelia's room and investigates. She knocks on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It's Cassie, you alright in there?"

"...enter, please."

Cassie opens the door slowly to find Amelia curled up in the corner, her silver hair lightly glowing in the sunlight that shines through the window, and her face hidden in her knees.

"Close the door behind you."

Cassie does as instructed and moves over to sit next to her sister, slipping her arm over the taller girl's shoulders and pulling her into a hug. Amelia leans into the embrace as she starts to sob, her ears laying down against her head as she does.

"I-I don't know why I did that….I don't know why I killed him….I just felt really angry when I saw his face…"

Her breathing is shaky, heavy tears rolling down her face while Cassie tries to comfort her.

"May was right….that wasn't _me_. I killed a man in cold blood….what is wrong with me….?"

"I don't know sis….we can get help if you want…"

"No...I don't need anyone else getting involved in this."

"You want me to stay here? Or do you want some time to yourself?"

"Stay, please. Just like this."

* * *

They stay huddled up in the corner for an hour until Amelia stands up and takes her plate carrier off, throwing it on the bed with her rifle. "Thanks Cassie. I really needed that."

Cassie stands up and gently puts a hand on her shoulder. "Anytime, just let me know."

They head back out into the living room, where May has crashed on the couch, and is half hanging off while she snores loudly.

Amelia goes into the kitchen to get some food while Cassie rousts May… or tries to anyways.

"Amy! May isn't waking up!" Cassie yells.

"Well then go dunk her head in the bathtub!"

May's eyes shoot open. "Fuck right the hell off, you aren't doing that shit to me again!"

There's a laugh from the kitchen. "Good morning to you too May!"

May grumbles insults towards Amelia as she sits up, her beanie sitting slightly askew on her head before she fixes it.

Cassie listens to Amelia happily humming in the kitchen, the familiar tune bringing back memories of their childhood together.

After five or so minutes Amelia comes into the living room, a plate in each hand and a third balanced on her right forearm. "Here's breakfast girls! It's the best I can do without firing up the stove."

She hands Cassie the plate in her left hand and grabs the plate on her forearm before it can fall. May graciously takes the plate in her right hand, and they all dig in, enjoying the cold slices of roast slapped in between two pieces of bread.

Amelia eats about half of hers and scowls at it for a moment before shrugging and continuing to eat. May gives her a questioning look, and she finishes the sandwich in two bites before explaining. "I guess I've gotten used to eating freezer burnt meat...regular meat tastes kinda weird to me now."

Her dad hears her and stares at her in a mixture of disgust, shock, and concern, along with everyone else.

Amelia gets flustered and slightly shrinks in on herself before growling in irritation. "It was that or starve okay?!"

She jumps up and takes her plate into the kitchen, trying to escape the looks she keeps getting from her family. She sits on the counter like she used to when she was younger and cleans her fingernails with a knife before her dad comes in.

"I'm sorry about the look honey…I'm just worried about you. You're usually right in the center of any conversation...what changed?"

Amelia puts her head in her hands for a second, takes a deep breath, and looks him in the eyes. "In my time at the mines we weren't allowed to socialize in groups larger than two or maybe three if the guards were in a good mood. Any bigger than that and the enforcers would come in with clubs and knives and break the group up." To prove her point she lifts her shirt to show the multitude of scars crisscrossing her torso. "They wouldn't touch our arms and legs, because we needed those to be good workers. They'd beat us black and blue though, maybe even give you a few cuts if they wanted to, especially me, they enjoyed breaking my aura and cutting me, because the cuts would heal in minutes." She drops her shirt back down and takes another deep breath. "That's why I've been avoiding groups, I'm still scared of old chief sparky catching me…." She shudders at the memories, her gaze downcast.

Her dad suddenly hugs her, his embrace brings her over the edge and she starts to cry, heavy, warm tears roll down her cheeks as she quietly sobs, her eyes clenched shut. No words are uttered while she cries, her dad just rubs her back while she sobs into his shoulder, soaking the front of his shirt. Minutes pass, and finally she calms down enough that she stops crying.

"T-thanks pops…I really thought I was done crying for the day." Amelia sniffles, wiping her eyes with her arm.

"I'm just being a parent, it's only right that I comfort you. You're still my daughter." He gives her a reassuring smile before there's a knock at the door.

Amelia jumps up and quietly pads over to the door, looking through the peephole.

Her fears are confirmed when the face of Winter Schnee is the only thing she sees.

She steps back from the door and points to May and Cassie, urgently motioning for them to go to her bedroom. They quickly respond with a nod and quietly sneak down the hall, followed by Amelia, who gives her dad the okay to answer the door.

She quickly runs into her bedroom and grabs Snakebite, smacking a magazine into the rifle before standing in the doorway to the bathroom, only exposing her left shoulder and left half of her head while she aims down the hall towards the living room.

She hears her dad open the door, followed by Winter's voice.

"Hello, is this the Ellis residence?"

"Y-yes? How may I help you?"

"I've come to return the belongings of your daughter and late wife. Please accept my apologies on behalf of the Schnee family when I saw we're sorry that your wife died while unlawfully imprisoned under our care."

"T-thank you….but... you act like I knew this prior to your arrival."

"That is because I know your daughter is currently inside, I was told by my younger sister who currently attends Beacon that she gave her a round-trip plane ticket and that I should deliver these in person."

Amelia grinds her teeth in anger. _'That bitch sold me out!'_

She's so angry she almost doesn't hear Winter's next sentence.

"I'm here on my own accord, and if I may, I would like to talk to your daughter."

Amelia hesitates before leaving her rifle propped against the bathroom door and cautiously walking down the hall, into the living room. She cautiously eyes Winter, her right hand hovering over her pistol before she relaxes and waves her in, casually flopping onto the couch.

Her dad moves out of the way and allows Winter to enter, followed by four androids carrying two large trunks, each with a familiar number on the top in white lettering.

The androids place the trunks along the wall and leave while Winter scrutinizes Amelia. "Well you are certainly in better shape than last time I saw you."

Amelia nods and motions to the recliner, inviting Winter to sit in it. "Indeed, if I recall correctly you watched as I was beaten and slashed for 'crowd control', I remember the disgusted look on your face."

Winter sits in the recliner and Dawn brings them all a cold glass of water before sitting down next to Amelia.

"Yes, I've never approved of my father's treatment towards Faunus, nor did I care much for 'chief sparky' as you called him."

She pauses to take a sip of water before continuing. "Did you know that he was killed shortly before you escaped?"

Amelia nods, her expression was completely neutral until Winter mentions the death of the enforcer, then it changes into a toothy smile that gives her dad goosebumps. "Yes, because I'm the one who killed him."

Her dad stares wide-eyed at her, his jaw hangs open while he tries to process what she said. His daughter just openly admitted to killing a man?

But that's not the most disturbing thing about it, the most disturbing thing is that she seems _happy_ about it. Between her smile and her ramrod straight ears (which only happens when she's happy), she's actually _happy_ about admitting she took a man's life.

"But…wha…?" He tries to form the words to ask her why, but ultimately fails, and resorts to raising an eyebrow at her. Thankfully she catches on. "Dad…every single one of those scars were made under his orders. We called him sparky because he used electricity Dust in his knife, every slash was like getting hit with a taser, and you've seen how many I have."

Winter leans forward, resting her elbows on her knees while pointing at one of the trunks. "I took the liberty of leaving said knife in your belongings as a souvenir. I'm surprised you didn't take it with you."

Amelia shrugs. "I was in a bit of a hurry, it didn't cross my mind. I was more concerned about getting out."

Winter hums an acknowledgment and checks her watch before standing up. "I'm afraid I must be going, I understand the uncertainty, and thank you for the hospitality."

Amelia stands up and holds her hand out. "I should be the one thanking you. You brought my mother's belongings home."

Winter takes her hand and firmly shakes it, a warm smile on her face. "It's the least I can do."

Amelia smiles and walks to the door, opening it for the platinum-haired woman. "If you or Weiss ever need any thorns taken care of, let me know."

Winter nods. "I'll be sure to do so." She walks out the door and down the street, flanked by two Atlas knights.

* * *

 **[A/N: I'm taking a couple weeks off publishing.** **The person that I modeled my OC Amelia after just passed away last night, and I just can't write currently. I'm sorry y'all but I'll be back once I've said my goodbyes. Any support is welcome right now, I feel like a worthless piece of shit. Until next time, SirStonewall out.]**


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